The Natural Animagus
by wsbenge
Summary: Harry is sent to the Dursleys, but due to a natural proclivity for cat animagus transformations, goes to live with the kneazles at Mrs. Figg's a few weeks before he is 2 years old. He spends years as a kneazle, before his association with Ginny Weasley h
1. Chapter 1 Life in Surry

Chapter 1 Life in Surrey

A young child had just finished getting his first annual medical check-up, in a moderately sized house in Godric's Hollow, Wales. It was three months late, but there had been mitigating circumstances. His mother and the healer were discussing it, as the young child happily played in the corner of the room.

"Harry is a normal wizard baby in most respects," said Madam Pomfrey, a healer employed by Hogwarts School of Magic and Wizardry. "Wizard children get muscular control a bit earlier than most muggle kids, and I have seen muggle kids walk at 7 months old. I have even seen muggle kids in diapers jump off the end of a one-meter diving board and dog paddle, so it really isn't surprising wizard kids are quick."

"Harry was toddling at 6 months," said Lily Potter, the child's mother. " He was toilet trained shortly there after. At one year old, he could move pretty well, which keeps us on our toes now days, let me tell you. I can hardly believe his vocabulary. He understands a lot more than he can actually say."

"That is fairly quick," said the healer, "but still quite normal. You should hear some of the stories I have heard about the young Ravenclaw students, when they were young. There is one thing to watch, however."

"What do you mean?" asked the young mother quickly. "Is there a problem?"

"Harry was born with a powerful magical core," said the healer. "That in itself isn't unusual, even though he is in the top 5 percent, as far as power goes. What is unusual was that Harry's core is extremely sensitive to magic near him. Have you noticed this? Harry reacts to my examination, without his conscious control. Most of us are a bit sensitive to magic, but I have never seen such acuity in someone so young. Harry treats it like hearing, or the sense of touch, and for him ... it is normal."

"That is probably why he is such a happy, contented baby," replied Lily. "He can sense when James and I are nearby, and intuitively, Harry is comfortable. He knows when James leaves the house. I have never left the house, since I brought him home."

"Harry doesn't have any conscious access to his core, any more than he can control how he hears, or sees," said Madam Pomfrey, "but his core is very active, never the less. I want you to pay close attention for accidental magic. He could get himself into a situation, in a heart beat."

"Oh Poppy," said Lily, "he is rarely out of our sight. I never knew having children would be so enjoyable. I just wish we didn't have to hide here. There are so many places I would like to take him."

The night that sent Harry to Surrey was like about any other night, except out of the blue, Harry started crying. When Lily Potter picked him up, the wards rang in alarm. James was already moving. "Peter has betrayed us!" he yelled. "Take Harry and run."

Lily tried to apparate, and couldn't, so she ran upstairs with Harry, hoping help would arrive in time. That did not happen. Harry's core could feel the fight between his father and Voldemort. His father was in a panic, and it paralyzed the stricken child. There was a definitive surge of magic, and Harry's core could no longer touch his father's.

A short time later, his mother's magic was billowing. There was a stranger in Harry's room, and his mother was crying. "NOT HARRY!! Please, please, not Harry." The oppressive surge happened again. Harry's core could no longer touch his mother's. Harry was now in a full panic.

For the third time, that self-same surge built up, and started moving toward Harry. Accidental magic roared out of Harry's core to meet that surge, but there wasn't quite enough power to completely stop it before it met Harry. It left a bleeding, jagged cut on his forehead, and completely exhausted his core. Harry fell into a deep sleep, and it is just as well he did. When he woke up, he was in Surrey.

Petunia Dursley woke up much as she usually did, tired and irritated. Her 18-month-old son, Dudley, seldom slept through the night. Dudley had been what is known as a colicky baby, crying most of his first year. He didn't cry as much this year, but Dudley was still quite a lot to keep up with. Petunia had not known motherhood was so exhausting and maddening. Sometimes she just wanted to scream in frustration.

Petunia's husband, Vernon, was a junior executive for a tool factory, Grunnings, and he thought raising children was just not a man's job, period. That's not to say that his life wasn't stressful. His department was normally understaffed and overworked, but that meant little to the CEO. Production had to be maintained, regardless of the problems that came up. He didn't get up at night to take care of Dudley, but that isn't to say he slept well. There is something in human physiology that makes it impossible to sleep when children cry.

Petunia put on the coffee, and went out the back door to get the paper. Vernon was in the shower, getting ready for work. It was all she could do to keep from falling down, as she tried desperately to keep from tripping over a basket on the step. The basket had a blanket in it. She lifted the blanket, and received the worst shock she had had in an awfully long time. Inside, there was a sleeping child. Between the blanket and the side of the basket was a letter.

It couldn't really be called a letter. It was more of a note. This is what the note read:

**James and Lily have been murdered. As you are Harry's next of kin, I have brought him to you. Albus Dumbledore.**

Petunia sat down heavily. A gentle breeze could have blown her over. Lily, her sister, was dead. She didn't really know what to feel. She wasn't close to her sister. Her mind was spinning.

'No, no, no, no,' she thought. 'A baby. Another baby. Lily's child. A witch's child. This can't be happening. I can't take care of another baby. I'll lose my mind.'

She carried the basket into the kitchen as Vernon came down the stairs.

"Vernon. Come here!" said Petunia.

"What?" asked Vernon.

"My sister's been murdered, and her child has been dumped on us," she replied. "I was never close to my sister, and I can't believe she made us guardians for her son. Read this."

It didn't take much time before Vernon's face started to redden. "We don't need this!" he yelled. "Who do they think they are? How can they do this? We're busy as hell now. We aren't social services!"

About that time, Harry woke up and looked around. Nothing was familiar. He saw strange people. "Mum! Mummy! Muuuummmm! Da! Daaaaaa!" screamed Harry.

"Vernon, he's going to wake Dudley. He just went to sleep an hour ago," said Petunia.

"Don't worry Pet. I'll fix this," said Vernon.

Vernon carried Harry, basket and all, straight over to the cupboard under the stairs. It was a bit dark, but there was light coming under the door, and through the vent slats in the lower part of the door. At least it wasn't pitch black. Not many people know this, but kids in a greatly different environment get very quiet, with a blank look on their face. Harry was no different. It is a type of shock. Further yet, Harry's core could not sense any magic at all, and that had never happened before. This met Vernon's desires exactly.

"See Pet?" asked Vernon, with a flourish. "Problem solved. Now, who is this kid?"

"Remember that time my sister Lily came to visit with her boyfriend?" said Petunia. "I told her to leave, and never come back? Well, she must have gotten married. Remember how I told you how ... unnatural ... they are? It looks like they are dead, and those .... people .... have dropped off Lily's brat. What are we going to do Vernon? I am afraid of them. I have been since I found out they exist, and Lily was one. They can take your memories away. People can just disappear. What they can do isn't right. They can do what ever they want, and no one can stop them."

"Well, the boy looks about the same age as Dudley," said Vernon. "We will take care of him for a few days until they come back, and we will ask some questions."

As it turns out, no one ever came to Privet Drive in Surrey to talk about Harry Potter living with the Dursleys. Vernon and Petunia thought it was very convenient to let Harry stay in the cupboard under the stairs.

Albus Dumbledore wanted someone to watch over Harry. The young boy was critical to the future of the wizarding world, if Voldemort returned, as he expected. After exhausting every option he could think of, he floo called Arabella Figg.

"Arabella," he said, after contact was made, "you know the Potter's were murdered last week, when Voldemort was stopped. I sent young Harry to live with his mother's muggle sister, in a suburb of London, and warded the house quite heavily. Death eaters still managed to attack the Longbottoms, and I fear for Harry's life. I am not convinced we have seen the last of Voldemort, and we don't know how many loyal followers he had. There was no body, and I don't know what happened. All we have is Voldemort's scorched dragon hide robes. He appears to have spontaneously combusted."

"How is that possible, Albus?" she asked.

"I don't have enough information to make a guess. We do know the killing curse was used on his parents, as well as the boy. He is the only person known to have survived the killing curse, and that of itself, makes him very important. I wish there had been a way to keep the Ministry from announcing that Harry Potter had survived the killing curse, while killing Voldemort. They have made things unnecessarily complicated. I was barely able to keep the boy placed with his maternal aunt. Would you be willing to live near the boy, and keep an eye on him? I know your kneazles are some of the best guardians available."

"Of course I will," said Arabella. "His parents were members of the Order, and we take care of our own. I only wish that we Figgs were able to take the child. The Longbottoms would have been perfect foster parents for the child."

"I agree," said Albus, "but the Ministry would never approve your family, and the Longbottoms are in the hospital. The people the Ministry would choose ... well, that would be a problem. I will purchase property in the area, and let you know. Thank you, Arabella. I will rest better knowing you will be in the area."

The property was purchased, and Arabella moved in. She spent a lot of time in her yard taking care of flowers and ornaments, and generally became a well known figure in the neighborhood. She looked like everyone's grandmother, and happily would baby-sit for anyone at a moment's notice. The news spread like wildfire, and Mrs. Figg was popular with both parents and children.

Kneazles are sentient, magical cats. They were quite strong for their size and their endurance would let them travel for hours. Their magic made them very aware of their surroundings. It was absolutely impossible to sneak up on kneazles. They generally communicate by a type of awareness that is hard to describe. It isn't exactly language, and it isn't exactly emotion. They have a complex system of gestures we might call sign language that few humans are likely to be aware of. Kneazles need food, shelter, family, community, and little else. They didn't need wizards, so why did they stay with them? Wizards were interesting. Kneazles were safer when they lived and worked with wizards. Wizards were magical, and it felt right to be around that magic. They understand human language, well, a lot more than that. Human beings communicate by a lot more than just language. So how did they end up with Mrs. Figg? Mrs. Figg came from a large, extended family of wizards. Mrs. Arabella Figg had worked well with kneazles since she was a child, and the obvious leader of the pack had stayed with her all of those years. Kneazles lived a long time, and kittens are rare. Only one pair in the pride have kittens every few years.

15-month-old Harry became a quiet boy. No one in the house wanted to talk to him, or even hear him. It wasn't uncommon for wizard kids to read by age two, if they were so inclined, and Harry could have easily started. Wizard kids just matured fast. This caused more trouble for Harry, but of course he never understood that.

Dudley wasn't toilet trained, since he really didn't have control yet, and he was just starting to walk. Petunia deeply resented the idea that Harry was better than Dudley , and Vernon wasn't thrilled with it either, as it made Dudley appear ... developmentally challenged. Dudley was perfectly normal, but appearances were important for Petunia and Vernon. As the year went on, they over compensated by spoiling Dudley rotten, especially since it kept Dudley more quiet. Kids know a good thing when they see it.

Harry, on the other hand, was treated like a second-class citizen, because his Aunt and Uncle couldn't abide by the idea that Harry might learn faster than Dudley. At best, they ignored Harry.

Emotional starvation and deprivation was standard operating procedure for him. The few toys that he had were broken. He never was given cookies, candy, or ice cream ... which Dudley had about any time he whined for them. If Harry was playing with something, and Dudley wanted it, Dudley was allowed to just take it or whine to his parents to get it for him. If Harry became too noticeable, he was sent to his cupboard. Harry spent a lot of time in his cupboard.

Harry's cupboard started out as a kind of playpen, if not a bit heavy on the 'pen'. He wasn't in it all the time, but it wasn't unusual either. The Dursleys even installed a small hinged door for the cupboard when they wanted him out of sight, and out of mind. Finger food and a drink went through easily. As long as Harry was ... invisible so to speak, they left him alone.

There were times Harry preferred being in his cupboard, because then Dudley wouldn't harass Harry in there. There was a bare bulb light and a few discarded toys. The cupboard was safety from them. The cupboard was lonely.

Several months flew by with few changes.

In early May, on Dudley's 2nd birthday, with all the gifts and junk food he had, he ate something that didn't really agree with him, or he caught some sort of bug. Anyway, he got severe diarrhea, and had to be hospitalized for a few days. Petunia had to stay with Dudley in the hospital, and Petunia asked Mrs. Figg to take care of Harry while she was gone. There was no way Vernon would take time off of work.

Mrs. Figg had seen Harry from time to time, but had never been asked to baby sit for him before. She was finally going to spend some time with young Harry. It didn't take Arabella much time before she became concerned about Harry. Harry would just sit wherever Mrs. Figg suggested, and say nothing. She was trying hard to figure out how to get Harry to cheer up, since she figured Harry was homesick for his family. Wrong. She had several kneazles with her, and one of them had a litter of kittens. She decided to show Harry, and left Harry with the cats.

It just wasn't possible for Harry to resist being smitten with the kittens. The young cats were running, and jumping, and wrestling, and playing with string. The mother cat didn't let the kittens out of her sight. If they got too far away, a quick cough would bring them back in a hurry. The other cats kept watch as well, but not nearly so closely. Harry was absolutely thrilled with the cats. Mrs. Figg watched Harry with them for a while. When she was convinced Harry and the cats were getting along, she stepped into the next room to get her knitting.

Harry didn't know anything about magic. How could he? He barely knew his name. His magical core was interacting with the kneazles. Harry started to play with them. He was gentle, but the kittens weren't exactly fragile. The kittens enjoyed it about as much as Harry did. The older cats did as well, but they weren't quite as playful as the kittens. They could play a bit rougher, and Harry had a ball. He would run and they would chase him. Later, he would chase them. He couldn't remember having that much fun.

By the time Dudley was released 2 days later, Harry was quite familiar with the kneazles. He knew all of the cats, but the kittens were something else. They wore themselves out. More importantly, Harry's core was quite familiar with the kneazles.

Petunia stopped by Mrs. Figg's on the way back from the hospital, and Harry sadly followed her back home. Being back in his cupboard was just like being splashed with cold water. Harry wanted affection, needed affection. Harry needed companionship. Tears streamed down his face for the first time this year. This thought came to his mind:

**"I wish I was a kitty."**

Harry didn't know Mrs. Figg's cats were kneazles. He just wanted to be like them. Badly. He yearned to be a kitty. He had to be a kitty. And he was. His magical core took care of the matter.

Harry had fallen asleep early, and he hadn't noticed his transformation. He woke up and stretched as only a cat can stretch, and it felt ... invigorating. Several shocking changes in his senses were immediately apparent. His eyesight was much better. He had never seen his cupboard this clearly with the door closed. His cupboard was huge! His cot was enormous. There were new noises in the house. His relatives were really snoring. His paws were ... PAWS! He flexed his claws. Felt good. Something caught the edge of his vision. Something black and furry was moving. Cat's tail.

"MY TAIL!!!" Harry thought. "I am a kitty. I am a kitty. I am a kitty." Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy.

It was like a dream. Maybe it was a dream. This was a good dream.

Harry really didn't question how it happened. How would he know? He essentially lived the past several months under a rock. Who would he have told? What he did know was this, "I am going to where the cats are."

Harry jumped off the cot effortlessly and pushed the hinged door open that was near the bottom of the cupboard door. The house was his to explore. He went under the coffee table and on the couch. He ran up the stairs and down the stairs. He ran some more.

He was resting on the cool, tiled floor of the kitchen when Petunia came downstairs. The first thing she did was start the coffee, of course. Harry was watching her intently. Petunia headed toward the back door, and Harry silently followed. As she walked out to get the paper, Harry crept out, along the side of the house and hid under some bushes. The half asleep woman walked back in the house completely unaware of the kitten that cautiously headed south toward Mrs. Figg's house just down the street. The way to Mrs. Figg's house was still imprinted in Harry's memory.

Harry was lucky there really aren't any night time predators in Surrey. He was walking around in something of a daze. The kitten didn't notice the two cats watching his movement. Harry remembered where he wanted to go. Outside, his senses were going into overdrive. Smells were everywhere. Trees were not fuzzy green. Amazing is an understatement. Harry was in awe.

The big alpha male almost immediately had noticed the kitten leaving the house he had under watch. How unusual. A kneazle kitten alone, so far from any known prides. And this kitten had a strong aura of power. He hadn't seen any kneazles in the area. No matter, a kitten is a kitten, and he would go get it.

Harry heard the warning cough. He wasn't even aware that his belly was on the ground, head pointed toward the sound, body as still as a rock. Harry was completely a kneazle kitten, with their instincts. A large cat Harry recognized from yesterday was walking straight for him. It stopped in front of him and sniffed. Next thing Harry knew, he had been picked up by the skin on his neck and he couldn't move. He could sense curiosity coming from the large one, as well as protection. He was safe here. Oh, was he safe here. It felt warm, and bubbly.

The alpha male took the kitten to the mother, and dropped him at her feet. The feeling returned to his limbs, and he might have bolted if he hadn't been aware of the feelings of welcome and home he was receiving. He didn't move. The mother was the alpha female, the matriarch of the pride. She immediately began licking Harry's face. She didn't stop at his face either. He might have been irritated if it hadn't felt so good. When she was satisfied, she picked the kitten up and took him to her nest where the other 4 kittens were. They were sleepy piles of fur. Harry laid there drinking in all of the various emotions and other pieces of information he was getting. YES, this was where he wanted to be. He fell asleep too.

Later that morning, the nest started wiggling around, which woke Harry up. The ever-alert mother nudged the kittens on their feet, and they drifted over to where Arabella had food and water set out for them in a small room near the kitchen. Mrs. Figg was having her morning tea, and she noticed the extra kitten.

"Where did this sweet little thing come from?" asked Arabella Figg, to herself. "My, aren't you a cute one?

It wasn't unheard of for kneazles to bring home a kitten, but she thought it was a bit unusual in Surrey. Kneazles were rather wide ranging in their travels. She could only guess how the kitten could have gotten separated from its family, and been found while one of the older cats was out scouting. Kneazles could move rapidly when they wanted to and could travel quite some distance. She thought it was unlikely she would ever know where the kitten had came from.

It had been about a month since Arabella had seen Harry. That wasn't terribly unusual, but she was curious. Both kids usually stayed in the house, except to get in the car when the family left. She hadn't noticed them for a while, but she wasn't worried. Her kneazles were the second line of defense against wizards, powerful wards being the first. Arabella had kept pretty busy lately baby-sitting, since she was in high demand, and she charged practically nothing. That kept her in touch with the neighborhood. She was very attentive when baby-sitting, and her charges were always safe. All in all, this was a quiet, sleepy little suburb.

She noticed Petunia on her way to the mailbox, and thought she would say hello.

"Hi Petunia. How is the family?" asked Arabelle. "I trust Dudley has been well since his trip to the hospital."

"Hello Mrs. Figg," replied Petunia. "Dudley has been just fine. He goes for a check up next week."

"Well, if you need someone to watch Harry, I will be happy to," said Arabella, as warmly as she could.

"Oh, Harry is not here," said Petunia. "His people came and got him last month. Dudley! Get back here! Excuse me Mrs. Figg. Dudley has wondered too far."

Mrs. Figg was shocked. No one had told her Harry had been picked up. She walked back in the house, and went straight to the floo.

"Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts Castle," she said, into the fire.

"Ah yes, Arabella. How are you?" said the talking head.

"Albus, you didn't tell me you picked up Harry," huffed Mrs. Figg. "You really ..."

"WHAT!!! What do you mean I picked up Harry!?" yelled Dumbledore.

"I was just talking with Petunia," said Arabella. "She said Harry has been gone for a few weeks."

"I'll be right there," said Dumbledore.

Albus wasted no time coming through the floo, and transfigured his robes into a muggle business suit. He didn't break stride as he headed for the door. For an old man, he practically ran to 4 Privet Drive.

"Mrs. Dursley, I am Albus Dumbledore," he said, in a rush. "May I ask where Harry is?"

"What do you mean where is Harry?" asked Petunia. "You people came and got him. One day he just showed up, and let me tell you I don't appreciate that. You just dumped him on us. Then, one day he is just gone. You people have no courtesy what so ever!"

"Let me assure you, Mrs. Dursley, we did not get Harry," said Dumbledore. "I was going to have him stay with you until it was time for him to come to Hogwarts. Mrs. Dursley, please look at me."

It didn't take Dumbledore long at all to go through Petunia's memories of Harry. What he saw, he did not like. It was obvious that she believed what she had told him. It was also obvious they had shunned Harry, and treated him like a farm animal. They had not done much more than keep Harry alive. Dumbledore walked back to Mrs. Figg's a very shaken man. The wards were strong and hadn't been touched. Harry was missing, and he had no idea where he could be. It was inconceivable that a boy almost 2 years old would just walk away.

He had tea with Mrs. Figg, and discussed the problem at length. Mrs. Figg's kneazles hadn't been alarmed at all, and they would have let her know if any wizards came near. She reminded Dumbledore how difficult it is for wizards to sneak up on a kneazle. She couldn't exactly talk with the kneazles, but she knew they could understand much of what she said. For example, when she had assigned the task of watching number 4 Privet Drive to the older cats, they had nodded in understanding. Arabella would never in a million years have associated Harry Potter with the new kneazle kitten that had been picked up by her kneazles. The kneazles didn't associate Harry Potter with the new kitten either, not that there was a good way for them to have told her if they did. They didn't know Harry Potter from Adam. He had just been one of the kids visiting, a magical kid at that, but just a kid.

She stayed a few more weeks in Surrey, but when it became obvious there was no sign of Harry Potter, she returned to her families' compound in Ottery St. Catchpole, a very much beloved Aunt to the score of people who lived there. Harry and the kneazles, of course, went with her.

Harry would never again return to Privet Drive.


	2. Chapter 2 Life as a Kneazle

Chapter 2 Life as a Kneazle

Harry Potter was a very happy young boy ... er, kneazle. He knew now that he had changed into a kneazle, and he was more than content to stay that way. No deep thinking necessary on that idea. The kneazles in the house that day had known Dumbledore was there. Well, they didn't know Dumbledore per se, but they knew Arabella was treating him with respect and the humans were upset.

Harry had listened to them intently, while not really appearing to. Dumbledore wanted Harry badly, and Dumbledore wanted Harry to go back to the Dursleys. That idea upset Harry tremendously. His adopted mother immediately came over and nudged him, gave him a few licks. That was like medicine to his soul. Yes, Harry would stay right here.

Ottery St. Catchpole was vastly different than the suburb of Surrey. The family compound was a few miles out of the city limits at the edge of a forest. Kneazle heaven. Mother started taking Harry and his siblings out into the woods to learn how to hunt and to learn the ways of the wild. Mice and rabbits were ridiculously easy to catch, since they were noisy and dumber than a box of rocks. Father or the other cats would run the perimeter, ensuring the safely of the young kittens. No other predators would surprise them.

Harry liked all of his lessons, whether Mother or Father were teaching, or even one of the other, older cats.

Kneazles are unmatched predators in the wild. No, they're not the largest, or the most fierce, but they are unmolested. They aren't bad, but the bad don't fool with them. In the unlikely event something can catch them unaware, they simply disappear into the bushes. The color of their fur blends into tree limbs, making them practically invisible if they are sitting still. They run like the wind. The only cat close to them in speed is the cheetah, and cheetahs can only run short distances before exhausting themselves. Kneazles can run for miles. If cornered, their slashing claws and sharp teeth are not worth the trouble for a stringy meal. Pound for pound, there is no stronger animal in the forest. Harry's foster parents taught him everything there is to know about being a kneazle. They had no idea Harry was actually human. Harry fit into their family perfectly.

There are a lot of small animals around Ottery St. Catchpole. Voles, rats, rabbits, hares, squirrels, hedgehogs, and on and on. A multitude of birds live in the woods and near the lakes and rivers. Ducks are OK to eat once one gets past the feathers, but mice and rabbits are better. There are a few snakes and lizards. There are fish, of course, but kneazles don't care much for water, and fish stay in water. Mother taught the kittens to swim, but none of them liked it. They can catch fish, if they must.

Other cats live in the woods. The closest one in size to a kneazle is the lynx. Lynx are unconcerned with kneazles, and kneazles don't care about lynx either. Not many lynx exist in the British Isles, but a few have been released by hobbyists. Lynx won't leave sheep and other domesticated animals alone, and farmers have made it rough on lynx. Kneazles do not make this mistake.

There are house cats in the woods, and around houses as well. Harry would watch these cats from time to time. They are not terribly alert, since there are so many dead ones along the road. When is the last time you saw a dead feral cat on the road? If you have, they were probably ill. Lynx are in the woods, but it is unlikely you will see one. People don't see kneazles either.

House cats, especially toms, fight with each other for no good reason. Well, maybe they have some reason to be territorial, but no good one. Males fight over females. Dumb. House cats breed like rabbits, compared to kneazles. A least two litters a year. Maybe it is because of their high mortality rate and short life span. They only live about 25 years, if they are lucky.

The other likely animal for Harry to see was a dog. Lots of different dogs. They are not all that intelligent either. They bark at anything and everything. They are easy to avoid. They are usually found around houses, with a few wild dogs in the woods. The wild dogs still spend most of their time around houses, scrounging for food. Dumb. Food is easy to find.

The biggest danger for Harry, was people. People and automobiles. Harry never went into town. His parents made sure he knew it was off limits, so that was that. Strange people were to be avoided and there was no reason to get near them. Automobiles were the fastest danger around Ottery St. Catchpole, but they were only fast on roads. Also easy to avoid. All in all, Harry's young life was pleasant, safe, and care-free.

The kneazles would range quite far. They would not chase an animal away from what they considered their home, but they generally knew what was happening in the area. Their knowledge was more precise closer to the Figg compound.

One night as Harry and his siblings were following their Father, they came upon a large male house cat killing a nest of kittens, while the kittens' mother hunted. Sometimes males will kill kittens fathered by other cats. Father attacked immediately, and the large tom cat had no chance of either fighting, or escaping. He just died. The kittens were not food, and they were no threat to anything. They were kittens. That was enough reason for Father to kill the tom.

This behavior repeated itself, from time to time. If Father decided an animal was dangerous to the pride, it just died. It was usually some stupid feral dog. Woe unto the animal that thought to attack Father, or one of the pride.

It is known that magical creatures are sentient. Each species has a way of communicating with themselves, and to a lesser extent, inter-species communication is possible, depending on the species. The main difference among the species is, what do they do when all of their needs are met? What do they do for entertainment? Most magical creatures are simply content. There are always a few that will associate with humans for entertainment ... humans are odd, in that their need for entertainment is nearly a mental disorder. Many human beings are clearly deranged, wanting more than they can ever need. Each species has a few notable exceptions, and that is probably why some magical creatures team with a few humans. No species is more benevolent than humans, nor is there one more vicious. No species devastates their own species worse that humans do.

Regardless of how comfortable Harry was as a kneazle, he was still human. By the time Harry was six, he was well versed in the way of the woods. Young Harry, the toddler, needed the security and warm emotions the kneazles share. As he grew older, he needed more than the kneazles could provide. If he wasn't spending time with his brothers and sisters, he would spend time with some of Arabella's younger nieces, nephews, and grand children. One niece, Molly Weasley, lived nearby and she had a bunch of kids.

Arabella taught school two or three times a week. She enjoyed teaching the children reading, writing, and arithmetic and telling stories of the wizarding world. It is one of the true joys of getting old. Harry would be right in there, listening with rapt attention. His brothers and sisters couldn't care less about the schoolwork, but Harry drank it in. He would start to grow away from the kneazles as his interests changed, but the kneazles would always be family.

Ginny lived about 7 miles away on the other side of town. She was five years old, when she started going to the Figg compound for lessons with her great aunt Arabella. Harry had found her house, among others, on some of his many travels of the area. Harry enjoyed spending time with her during school at the compound, and it wasn't long before he started showing up at Ginny's for visits. Harry usually crossed the river on the railroad bridge. He could tell how close a train was by listening to the steel track, and he was across in no time.

Ginny Weasley noticed Harry, more than any of the other kids did. Ron and the twins really were not interested in kneazles. She called him Green Eyes, or GI for short. Of course, the name stuck. GI had brilliant, emerald green eyes that never missed a thing. The room Arabella used for teaching was filled with comfortable armchairs, chalk boards, and bookcases filled to capacity. The young kneazle would lay on top of the chair looking over Ginny's shoulder while she read or practiced her schoolwork.

It was here that Harry learned that some wizards could change into animals, and that Harry was an animagus. The kids were told that animagi were rare, and if a wizard or witch had the ability, it still would take a lot of study and practice to make the transformation. They would learn more details when they went to school. For now, some of their favorite stories were about animagi like Merlin and the Four Founders.

It was also here that Harry first heard about "The Harry Potter Story". He learned about how his parents had been killed, and how he had defeated the worst wizard in recent history. It didn't matter much to Harry. He only had vague memories about his parents and no memories of the Dursleys he wanted to remember. Harry considered himself first, and foremost, a kneazle.

Ginny found out how unusual GI was, for a kneazle. They were taught that kneazles could understand human language, as could many magical creatures like postal owls, unicorns, and phoenixes. Some were better than others of course, and GI was second to none. He would nod his head yes, or no, and make various sounds of amusement when he was around Ginny. GI became more stupid when Ginny was around other people, and this irritated Ginny a bit. She also felt good about it, since it made it seem like GI really cared about her.

Ginny had a friend in the area named Luna Lovegood. Luna was OK, a bit different, but OK. Ginny's parents didn't do a lot of visiting, and Ginny didn't have access to many friends. Luna would look at the green-eyed kneazle oddly from time to time, but say nothing about GI. Harry usually left the girls to themselves if they were spending time together. Cats, dolls, and tea parties really don't mix well.

One day six year old Ginny sat in her back yard, as GI basked in the sun. Molly could see her from the kitchen.

"GI," Ginny asked, "would you like to be my kneazle, and come live with me?"

Harry looked at her intently, and shook his head no. Ginny burst into tears, and ran into the house. This really confused Harry. He could still hear her crying upstairs, so he climbed the tree on the east side of the house and jumped to her windowsill. One of the nice things about wizards is that they can charm windows to keep out most irritating pests. Since it was summertime, her window was open, and Harry stepped inside.

"Meow?", said Harry in a way that Ginny had come to understand as a question.

Ginny sat up on the bed, and tried to dry her face and compose herself a bit.

"Oh GI," she cried. "I have thought about you for a few weeks now, and I really wanted you to be mine."

Harry walked over to Ginny, and started rubbing up against her ankles as he made small circles around her feet. This made Ginny feel a lot better.

"Friends, huh", she said smiling.

Harry nodded yes, and this was the start of a rather close friendship between girl and cat. 7 miles was no distance at all for GI, and Ginny attended classes regularly at the compound. It was Ginny who taught GI to enjoy swimming. Ginny enjoyed the water. At Ginny's, Harry heard all about her brothers, what they were doing, where they were, and on and on. Harry heard about Harry Potter ... boy did he hear about Harry Potter. Boy Who Lived. Defeater of He Who Must Not Be Named. Knight in Shining Armor. All Around Hero.

More importantly, he heard about Hogwarts. Ginny's older brothers had been attending Hogwarts instead of going to the compound to learn. Ginny was looking forward to going herself, to learn all about magic. Harry hadn't thought about it much before, but now the idea of learning magic appealed to him. It couldn't be said that Harry was bored, but the idea of learning at Hogwarts fascinated him. Harry was going to have to be human to go to Hogwarts. Students at Hogwarts used wands. There was only one problem. Harry didn't know how to be human.


	3. Chapter 3 Harry Potter Returns

Chapter 3 Harry Potter Returns.

It was the beginning of Harry's tenth year that he decided to attend Hogwarts as a human. He had no idea how to do that, but it didn't stop him from trying. Harry had no idea how he had made the transformation to kneazle, let alone the transformation back. He would chant, "Human, Human, Human" in his mind. Nothing. He would stretch as far as he could stretch, thinking maybe that might trigger something. Three months later, he started looking for books. There was no book at the compound on animagi, but he did discover one in Ginny's brother's room. Bill still had a couple bookshelves filled in his old room that he hadn't taken with him. That was where Ginny found GI one afternoon, reading that book.

"GI, what ever are you doing?" asked Ginny. "You can't play with Bill's books."

Harry just gave her a dumb look when she walked over to pick up the book to return it to the shelf. She closed the book, and casually glanced at the title, Discovering Your Animal. She didn't know Bill had books like this one. She decided to take it back to her room, and GI was right behind her. Ginny sat on her bed, and GI hopped up beside her.

"GI, why would you have this book, of all things?" she asked.

Harry lay sprawled on the bed and growled. Ginny was startled for two reasons. First, GI never growled. Second, kneazles don't read. She knew that GI spent a lot of time in classes, but she didn't think the attentive cat actually read.

"GI, can you read?" GI nodded yes.

"GI, can you understand this? GI nodded yes.

Ginny was stunned. She didn't know what to ask. She was curious about the subject herself. How could she find out what the cat was thinking if all he could do was answer yes or no?

"Do you want to read this with me?" GI nodded yes.

And read, they did. The book spoke of visualizing the change and there was several examples one might use to visualize the process. If a person could make the change, a person should start a little at a time and progressively add more body parts to the change. The part being changed would just change shape. The total mass stayed the same during training. The safest change to start with was the hand opposite of the one used for writing.

Ginny wanted to be some sort of cat. Theoretically, she could be an 85 pound house cat if she just kept her same weight. It took even more skill to match the size of a house cat in the final transformation. She had no idea what was going through the mind of the kneazle. Did he want to be a larger cat?

It was uncommon for witches or wizards to dedicate themselves to months, if not years, of animagus training. There was no advantage, since magic could do most anything one wanted. It might be fun to be a bird, but there was a broom for flying, and brooms were easy to fly. Why would Ginny want to be an 85 pound house cat? Why would she want to be a 10 pound house cat? If a person wanted to be an animal for a while, someone else could transfigure them. There were even potions that could change a person temporarily into an animal. Most wizards learn to depend on their wand, find their niche in life, and stay there. They did not want to be a lower life form.

They had been working together for a couple months, when Harry made his first change. His paw turned into a small human hand!

"Eep!! GI, you did it!? Do you want to be human?" GI nodded yes.

"Oh my, GI."

Both Ginny and Harry were excited now. A couple months later, Ginny had turned her hand into a large cat's paw. She did have the ability. They were both excited. Neither one of them realized the reason Ginny had had success so young was that Harry's magic had been flowing in and around with hers for years. That contact sort of primed Ginny to make the cat animagus transformation.

Ginny was fairly powerful herself. She was the seventh child of the seventh child, in the Weasley family. The Weasleys were known for large families, but even then, the seventh child of a seventh child is rare.

The book said it wasn't wise to transform alone, and had warned that people had been trapped in animal form when no one else knew they were practicing. Harry and Ginny weren't alone, were they? The rash behavior of young people has been well documented down through the years. Fortune was with them, for they had no problems.

Harry always tried his partial transformations after Ginny had returned to normal. They did their work, one individual at a time. He had made changes to his arms and legs in the past few weeks. A cat can look really weird with small human arms and legs. He had had quite a bit more success than Ginny. Suddenly, Harry's entire form started getting larger. He was making the full transformation. There, on Ginny's bed, sat a boy with brilliant green eyes in his birthday suit. It never occurred to either of them that such a thing as a naked boy in Ginny's room was a problem. They were too excited. Harry didn't know clothes from the man in the moon, and Ginny had six brothers. Harry had spent hours with Ginny, and her occasional nudity was irrelevant to them. Harry was a cat, after all.

"GI, you did it!!" Harry nodded yes. He hadn't spoken in years.

"G .. G.... Ge Gin .. n ", he whispered.

And then she saw the lightening bolt scar.

"GI, you're Harry Potter?" Harry nodded yes.

Harry changed back to normal, while Ginny was still in shock.

"MUM !!!", cried Ginny.

GI hissed and growled, then let out a wail that only a cat could do. GI vigorously nodded his head from side to side saying no. Footsteps thundered up the stairs. The door flew open, and in ran Molly and Ron.

"Ginny, what's wrong? You startled me out of 3 months life"

"Sorry Mom, I fell off the bed and stepped on GI's tail."

And this cemented a friendship that legends are made of. They kept meeting in Ginny's room, but they locked the door, and tried very hard to be quiet. Ginny found some of her brothers' old clothes that were too small. Harry explained what he could about his life, which wasn't all that much. Ginny knew as much about his parents as he did. There was nothing pertinent to say about the Dursleys. His foster family were kneazles and he had spent most of his time at the Figg family compound. Ginny, in fact, knew most of Harry's life. She had known GI for years.

Ginny agreed to keep Harry's secret. The Harry Potter story became something of a running joke for them. Dumbledore had little choice but to tell the Ministry what little he knew of the night Voldemort was stopped at the Potter's house. Harry's curse scar was a fairy tale story of epic proportions. The story had grown temendously, over time. Ginny now knew what really happened. Harry couldn't care less about the fable.

Harry wanted to be human to prepare to go to Hogwarts. Harry knew how to read, but he had never written a thing. Ginny helped Harry practice writing. The hard part for Harry was going to be interacting with people ... to be human. He would just need practice. He went often into the deep woods to practice talking. It sounds easy, but it is one thing to understand a language, and another to speak it.

There was also the problem of getting used to his human body. Right off the top, it's two legs vs. four. It takes a while to get good at it, and he practiced that in the woods as well. Running was as much fun in human form as it was kneazle. The book had suggested there would be carry over of abilities between human and kneazle, and this held true. He still had most of his normal kneazle awareness, pretty fast reflexes, and he kept quite a bit of his strength and endurance. He just didn't have anyone to compare himself to, and he didn't really know his own strength as a human. Harry was forced to learn a lot in a short amount of time.

Ginny and Harry discussed his problem of being The Boy Who Lived. Harry's parents were dead, and ten year old boys do not live alone. Harry's being Kneazle Boy wasn't going to cut it, for several reasons. Just imagine, if you will, the headlines in the paper.

**Boy Who Lived Found Living With Kneazles.**

Harry was worried he would be taken somewhere else, as soon as he was discovered. Ginny and Harry decided that Xavier Figg, Head of House Figg, had to be asked for help. He had to have a guardian.

Xavier Figg relaxed after supper by taking walks in his garden as often as he could. Harry found him alone on the back side of the garden near some bushes in full bloom. Harry had practiced what to say, but he was still rather nervous. Ginny thought Harry should be as polite as possible.

"Sir, may I speak with you for a few minutes?" asked Harry.

"Yes, of course." Xavier said, as he turned around. "What? Who are you?"

"Sir, there is no easy way for me to say this. I am Harry Potter. I have been living on your property for several years as a kneazle, and I would like your help, please."

"Son, let's sit down over here," replied Xavier. "I must say that you have caught me by surprise. You have been living here? As a kneazle?"

Harry showed him his transformation, and Xavier recognized him immediately. They had a long conversation, with Harry telling him as much as he knew about how he came to the Figg residence, which wasn't much. He had been here all his life, as far as Harry was concerned. Xavier said he would help as much as he could, but he didn't know what all his options were.

Xavier's mind was spinning. He needed to talk to the law firm he had on retainer. This would not be a simple case of fostering an orphan child, since this was Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, and the last scion of the Potters. On the other hand, Harry would be spending most of his time at Hogwarts, until he turned of age at seventeen. Harry needed someone to watch out for his best interests.

Xavier promised Harry that he would be his Head of Family until he became an adult. This boy had been a cat most of his life. School would start in a few short weeks. Harry explained how he had watched the Figgs closely, and he thought knew enough about human behavior not to embarrass House Figg. Harry would try very hard not to draw attention to himself.

Xavier really wanted to talk to his sister-in-law Arabella.

It had been over 9 years since Albus Dumbledore had seen Harry Potter. Only a handful of people knew Harry wasn't with his muggle relatives. The first couple of years following his disappearance had been a flurry of activity for the few people who did know. Every sort of locating spell, scrying spell, point me charm known to the wizarding world had been used to find Harry, with absolutely no success what so ever. Never a twitch, nor a twinge. No owl nor phoenix could find him. They had no choice but to stop looking. He was feared to be dead by most of them, though Albus never quite gave up hope. There was, after all, the prophecy. When Minerva McGonagall performed the spell to send out the letters of notification for the first year students, she was surprised to see one addressed for Harry Potter. She went straight to her floo connection.

"Albus Dumbledore!" she yelled.

"Ah, what is it Minerva?" replied Albus.

"Albus! A letter went out to Ottery St. Catchpole, Xavier Figg's, for Harry Potter," said Minerva.

Albus lost no time getting there. The Figgs had been with him during the war against both Grindewald and Voldemort. Voldemort had killed Arabella's husband, who was Xavier's brother. Arabella had volunteered immediately for the Surrey watch on Harry Potter. Had she taken Harry? Why would she lie about Harry's location? Had she known how the Dursleys had treated the young boy? So many questions.

Dumbledore walked up to the main house, and knocked on the door. An elderly house elf answered, and asked Dumbledore to wait for a moment. The elf returned shortly, and led him to where half a dozen people were sitting on the veranda eating a light meal. Xavier stood, and greeted him.

"Hello Albus," said Xavier. "I would say this is a pleasant surprise, but I have been anticipating this meeting since I became aware Harry has been living with us. Can I offer you a bite to eat?"

"Thanks, just a bit of tea." Albus poured himself a cup, and with bit of eagerness asked, "How long has Harry been here?"

"I've known about him for a couple weeks. Harry asked me for protection, as head of House Figg, and I have agreed. I asked Arabella for the details concerning her stay in Surrey, since I knew she was there to keep an eye on Harry Potter while he lived with his Aunt and Uncle. She told me how Harry vanished without a trace, and what you had learned after your conversation with his Aunt. My solicitor tells me you are Harry's magical guardian, since his closest living relatives are muggles. I am hoping you and I can come to an agreement concerning the living arrangements for him, especially since he will be spending most of his time under your supervision at Hogwarts."

Albus was still full of questions. "Where has Harry been since he left his Aunt's house in Surrey?"

"Albus, lets retire to my study. The details are a bit .... interesting," said Xavier quietly.

Xavier told Albus the short version. What was there to say? Harry was a kneazle animagus, and had been living at the Figg compound since Arabella returned from Surrey. Harry had no idea about how he had made the original transformation. He had just recently made the change back to human, after he decided to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For his safety, Xavier wanted Harry's ability to become a kneazle kept secret. Albus whole-heartedly agreed. No one needed to know where Harry had been. The blood wards he had set up had fallen long ago. Albus asked to see Harry, and Xavier sent a young house elf to get him

"Harry, Mr. Figg has told me quite a tale about how you came to be here," said Dumbledore. "He said you are looking forward to attending Hogwarts this fall."

"Yes sir", Harry quickly answered. He could feel the tension in the room, but there didn't seem to be any sense of danger. He knew this meeting was important.

"Harry, do you want to stay here until school starts?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes sir. My parents, brothers, and sisters are here," replied Harry.

"I see." Albus had not expected that answer.

The three of them spoke for a short time longer. Albus said he would send Hagrid to accompany Xavier and Harry to get the items needed for school, and left shortly thereafter. Albus was a very relieved man. He had been surprised to find out that Harry could read and write, even though he had spent most of his time as a kneazle. Harry did not tell him about Ginny's help. Albus would watch Harry closely after he arrived at Hogwarts.


	4. Chapter 4 Harry Goes to Hogwarts

Chapter 4 Harry goes to Hogwarts

Hagrid arrived the next day. Xavier, Hagrid, and Harry went to Diagon Alley to get his school supplies. They stopped at Gringotts to visit Harry's vault, picked up his clothes and books, then went to Ollivander's to get his wand. That visit took the longest time of all, as it seemed that Harry picked up every wand in the shop. He eventually had his wand, holly with a phoenix feather core. Hagrid picked up a snowy white owl for Harry while he was in the wand shop. Hagrid allowed as how, "Owls are dead useful." Harry didn't know what to say. Harry had no particular desire for a pet, but if owls were so useful, he would take one. The owl was very friendly and the rest of the trip was uneventful. Harry rarely spoke, unless someone else initiated the conversation. He kept his answers short, and to the point. Harry was inundated with information and ... stuff.

Xavier had given Harry a room near the kitchen, away from the wing most of the Figgs stayed in. It could have been a utility room at one time, but it was perfect for Harry. He had shown his family his transformation soon after his success at Ginny's house, and the kneazles were comfortable with it. It was common to see them entering and leaving through the window. Harry was trying to spend as much time as possible being human, since he needed all the practice interacting with people he could get. No one noticed the few times GI went through the window.

Harry's first transformation with Hedwig in the room disturbed the owl immensely. Harry quickly changed back, and spent quite a bit of time calming the bird down. It is fortunate that Hedwig was as intelligent as she was. No one knows her history before Hagrid bought her that day, but she understood English perfectly. She settled down, but it is easy to picture how the large cat had disturbed her. The window in Harry's room was convenient for her as well.

None of the other kids living at the compound would be first year students at Hogwarts. The older teens were pretty much doing their own thing. Harry was able to move from person to person, never spending too much time in one place. Once the novelty of having Harry Potter in the compound wore off, Harry was able to disappear easily enough. Harry depended on Ginny, and he was going to miss her. Furthermore, no one knew how close they had become. They decided Ginny would continue her animagus visualization exercises, but not actually try the transformation alone.

When Molly Weasley found out Harry was staying at the Figg's, she went to visit her Aunt. Harry was the same age as her youngest son, Ron, and they would both be starting school this year. She envisioned them both in Gryffindor as great friends. She brought Ron and Ginny with her. Introductions were made quickly, and Molly went to have tea with Arabella. Ginny had officially met Harry. Hogwarts was the topic of the day. Ron was eager to go, and Ginny was majorly disappointed that she could not. By the time the visit was over, the three of them had a plan to write Ginny at least once a week and tell her what they did at Hogwarts. It really wasn't in Ron to write that often, but Harry would. Hedwig would be getting quite a bit of exercise.

September arrived, and Harry was packed and ready. Kneazles don't really do 'Good-byes', as it is not something they would dwell on. Kneazles show more emotion with 'Hello', especially after a large amount of time has passed. The compound sent their 5 students to the train station enmass, accompanied by Xavier, Arabella, and others. Harry told Xavier that he would stay in contact throughout the year, and said good-bye with little fanfare. They had successfully avoided the The Boy Who Lived problem. Harry noticed the Weasleys, and rolled his trolley over to them. Ron's mother fussed over Ron, it being his first year of school and all. Harry spent some time with Ginny, and soon it was time to board the train.

Harry and Ron found an empty car near the back and settled in for the long trip to Scotland. About an hour later, a bushy haired girl opened the compartment door. She introduced herself as Hermione Granger, and said she was looking for a toad that had been misplaced. Harry and Ron introduced themselves.

Hermione became very animated. "I have read all about you. You are in several books ..."

Harry interrupted her. "I know I am famous and all, but no one has ever talked to me about what happened. There is nothing about who I really am in those books."

That slowed Hermione down quite a bit, and the three of them went to look for the toad. It didn't take Harry long to find it down by the loo. Trevor, the toad, couldn't really hide in that car from a kneazle. Harry and Ron met the toad's owner, Neville Longbottom, when Hermione returned Trevor. Neville had been in the next car looking. They returned to Harry's and Ron's compartment, and spent the several hours long trip speculating about Hogwarts Houses and magic in general. Ron brought out his pet, a rat named Scabbers. Harry knew rats, and there was something not right about that rat. Harry couldn't quite place the problem. Ron said his rat wasn't magical, but Harry's instincts knew better. Harry just remained uneasy about the rat. Ron tried, unsuccessfully, to change the rat's fur color to yellow.

Some time later, the compartment door opened to admit a white haired boy. Two others quickly followed him. The boy introduced himself.

"My name is Draco Malfoy. I heard Harry Potter is on this train, and this is the last car on the train. Is Harry Potter in here?"

Hermione stood. "I am Hermione Granger. This is Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Harry Potter."

With a sneer, Malfoy said, "I recognize the name Weasley. Rather poor lot. I recognize you, Longbottom. They thought your were a squib, didn't they? Granger? I don't know the name Granger. You must be a mudblood. Potter, these people are the wrong sort to associate with. I can help you with that."

Ron was bristling with anger. "Malfoy, you shut your face. I ... "

Harry stepped forward calmly, and said, "Thanks for your offer. I want to sort things out for myself. Maybe I will catch up with you another time."

He could read Malfoy like a book. There was no problem here, and no reason to say much. Malfoy bragged a bit, got bored, and left. The train was nearing its destination, and the students needed to make final preparations for leaving the train. Some had to get into their school uniforms, and others needed to return items to their trunks.

The train arrived at Hogsmeade Station, and the students made their way to the west end. Harry heard Hagrid yelling , "All first years over here. Leave your trunks here at the station. They will be taken care of for you," repeatedly. A small river ran past the station, and Hagrid was standing by several boats. He told the first year students to get into the boats, four to a boat. Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione got into a boat, and the boats headed down the river under their own power. The river quickly widened into a lake. There was a large castle on the other side of the lake, and it was truly magnificent, with high towers and many lighted windows. The boats crossed the lake, and entered a small channel that went under the castle itself. The boats lined up next to an old wooden dock, and Hagrid had them get out. He led them to an older witch and introduced her as Professor McGonagall. She gave them some details on Hogwarts houses, and led them to a room near the docks. She told them to wait until she returned.

Thirty-eight nervous, fidgeting, first year students waited for her return. Ron's brother had told him they had to wrestle a troll to find out which house they were in. It turned out to be much more simple. The kids were led into a large room that seemed to be outdoors, but wasn't. There was no ceiling in this room. Harry could tell they were indoors, but there was the sky, with moon, clouds, and stars. Hermione started whispering rapidly about enchanted ceilings. Adults were sitting at a wide table on a platform at the end of the room. The same older witch that had met them at the docks had them line up to wait until called for alphabetically. A magical hat would sort the students into one of four houses, each with their own table in this room called the Great Hall. Harry's turn came quickly. He stepped up and put on the hat.

The hat spoke mentally, "Mr. Potter, I have been waiting for you for some time. You have courage, like your father, and the quick intellect of your mother. Oh my, Mr. Potter. In all my years sorting students at Hogwarts, I have not seen a case like yours. I must tell you it that, to my knowledge, no one else has spent their childhood as a kneazle, or any other animal, for that matter. Ah, now I can see how it happened, and why. You will be interesting to watch. I can only put someone of your .... talents, ... into .... " Then the hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!!!"

The sorting was quickly finished. Food appeared on the tables, and supper ended half an hour later. The Headmaster, Dumbledore, made announcements that seemed like he had probably said them time and time again, as he went through them in a cheerful monotony. Then he got serious, and said that The Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden, and all students had to stay out of it if unescorted by a professor. Lastly, he said the third floor corridor on the east side was completely out of bounds for all students, and any student could expect to meet a painful death if they went there.

Harry felt his scar throb with pain, and his core became very active. His core recognized the signature of the source of that pain from the past, and it was dangerous. Harry's core instinctively started setting up the same reflective barrier to that source. He glanced at the Head Table, and noticed a tall professor in dark clothes and oily hair staring at him. Another professor beside him wearing a turban was fidgeting with his fingers. Harry couldn't remember his scar ever hurting, and this was giving him a headache. Suddenly the pain subsided, and Dumbledore announced it was time for the prefects to lead all students to the dormitories. Harry asked Fred Weasley who the professors were at the end of the table. Fred said the greasy git on the right was Severus Snape, Potions instructor, and the one on the left was named Quirrell, Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor.

Harry followed the other Gryffindors to Gryffindor Tower, where the dormitories were. A portrait, affectionately known as The Fat Lady was the door to the dormitory. She required a password to allow students to pass. The prefects showed the first years the common room, the showers and loo, and their room. The boys and girls section were separated by two stairways. Boys could not climb the girls stairway, but girls could climb the boys stairway. Go figure that one. It didn't make any sense to Harry, but then it didn't really need to. That was just the way it was. Harry shared his room with Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, and Ron Weasley. Hermione Granger, Pavarti Patil, and Lavender Brown shared the first year girls' room.

Harry's trunk was sitting in front of a bed, and the cage for his owl was empty. On the train, Hermione had mentioned an owlery, where both student owls and school owls perched. He would find out where that was tomorrow. Hermione had also mentioned that if a student's owl was well trained, the student could have a perch in his room for his or her owl. The student would have to let their pet in and out through the dormitory window. Magical windows were convenient. Harry would have to get a perch.

Harry listened to his room mates talk about this, that, and the other. It was mainly about the excitement of finally being at Hogwarts. Sports was a common theme also, but Harry didn't know anything about Dean's football, or Ron's quidditch. Seamus started talking about his family. He said he was 'half and half', since his dad was a muggle and his mum was a witch, who didn't tell his dad she was a witch until after they were married. Ron said his familiy had been pureblood for generations. Neville told a story about his uncle trying to force accidental magic out of him by dropping him off a pier, and out of a window. Dean Thomas didn't know he was a wizard until his letter arrived. What was Harry going to say? My mum taught me to catch mice out by the corn crib? My brothers, sisters, and I enjoy hide and seek in the forest at night? We take turns looking for intruders around the property? He knew how well that would be accepted. Finally, they wound down, and one by one they went to sleep. This was a vastly different experience for him. The kneazle knew to watch, and wait.


	5. Chapter 5 First Year, Fall Term

Chapter 5 First Year, Fall Term

Harry was up early in the morning. He had learned basic toiletry at the compound. In a funny sort of way, taking a shower was pleasant. Warm water cascaded over this bare skin in a way that he never could have experienced as a cat. He joined his year mates to go to breakfast. A prefect led them back to the Great Hall. Harry wouldn't have gotten lost, but the prefects said it was a common occurrence for first years to get lost in the huge castle, and this was just part of the orientation program.

Professor McGonagall brought their class schedules. All of the first year's classes were the same. Gryffindors and Slytherins had Potions first, followed by Transfiguration. After lunch, they had Charms . Tomorrow they had History, followed by Defense Against the Dark Arts. The afternoon was herbology with Proffessor Sprout. Fridays was a mixed day with some special double classes spread throughout the year. The following week Gryffindors would be matched with Ravenclaw, and the third week they would take lessons with Hufflepuff.

Today they had potion class with the Slytherin first years. Professor Snape entered the classroom quickly, slammed the door behind him, and walked to the front of the classroom with his robes billowing out behind him. He made a speech about this class having no silly wand waving, bottling fame, and putting a stopper on death. Then, he singled out Harry.

"Mr. Potter, What will I get if I add the powered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Mr. Potter where would I find a bezoar?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Well, it seems celebrity isn't everything."

Snape went on with the class, frequently singling out Harry to be the attention of one of his diatribes. Harry could not care less. Harry had seen blustering before in the forest. If there was no threat involved, no amount of screaming or posturing was worth wasting energy on. Kneazles know what threatens them, and what does not. Ron was livid by the time class was over, and Hermione's arm should have been aching from all the waving she had been doing. All in all, potions appeared to be an easy class. Harry was a sponge, absorbing information about school and human interaction. An observer might have confused Harry's behavior as bored indifference.

There was an observer. An invisible Dumbledore was following Harry, to see how he reacted to the students, as well as the professors. He was surprised that Severus had not elicited some sort of response from Harry. Albus hadn't decided if that was good or bad.

Transfiguration was the next class. Harry was surprised to see a gray tabby cat sitting on the Professor's desk. He thought there was something odd about the cat, but he couldn't say what. Just as Ron Weasley was making a comment about professors being late, the cat jumped off the desk and transformed into Professor McGonagall. That got a large reaction out of the class. It caught Harry's attention as well. He would like to discuss the animagus transformation with her. The lesson of the day was changing a match stick into a needle. Harry watched the demonstration, felt the demonstration, and by the end of the class, Harry, Hermione, and a Slytherin named Greengrass had made the needle. Dumbledore was pleased with Harry's magical performance, as well as his ability to interact with the students and teachers. Albus had been very worried Harry would not be able to socialize properly. Harry wasn't outgoing, but he wasn't withdrawn and lost either. The only thing about Harry that might draw attention was his lightening bolt scar, and the fame that went with it. Harry acted like such notoriety didn't exist.

Harry went outside after a quick lunch. He needed to work his muscles, and started jogging around the grounds. It felt good to get out and jog. Harry could run a two-minute mile, but he wouldn't run that fast where the students could see him. No kneazle wants to draw attention to himself. He was skirting the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and really wanted to slip inside it, but decided he wouldn't today. He stopped at Hagrid's hut to say hello. One would think that Fang, Hagrid's boar hound, and Harry would not get along, but they enjoyed each other's company. Albus didn't try to keep up with Harry when he was running. He went back into the castle satisfied Harry would be just fine, outside in his ... normal ... environment.

The next day, Professor Flitwick's Charms class was all entertainment. They spent the class learning household cleaning charms. The small professor was a pleasure to watch work. Everyone could tell he enjoyed teaching. He could probably make a game out of any task.

Proffessor Binn's history class was just dead boring. Professor Quirrell was the most difficult teacher for Harry. He stuttered through the lesson so badly that his thoughts were hard to follow. His kneazle sense was screaming a warning, though Harry couldn't quite figure out why. He picked up mixed signals with the DADA teacher. Harry was bored with the coarse work in this class. Quirrell couldn't make learning about dark creatures interesting if his life depended on it.

Harry enjoyed learning about herbology. Herboloby was about nature, and the woods. Once again, as in potions, Harry was a quiet sponge, soaking up information.

Harry rarely slept more than four hours at any one time. He couldn't stay in the common room from 9 to 6. Homework didn't take too much of his time. Harry had to be out exploring. He found a way out of the dorm through a water closet in the loo. There was an access way for the plumbing that ran all over the castle. A human never would have made it, but it was easy for the kneazle. Harry quickly found out who the access ways were made for. He came upon a small house elf working on the pipes one night. The elf instantly struck up a conversation.

"Cat-boy is first student that sees this part of the castle," said the small elf. "I is Kob. I is working on most of the pipes in the castle. Kob almost never see students or teachers." English was not his primary language, and he seldom had need to use it.

This was the first time Harry had an occasion to use a smaller human form. He thought he could do it, since he wasn't changing any mass. He had started practicing transformation with the smaller limbs with Ginny. He concentrated for a few moments, and started the transformation.

"You is same size as Kob!" exclaimed the elf.

"Do you have to tell anyone you have seen me here?" asked Harry. "I was told all students have a curfew from 9 to 6, but I just had to get out."

"Kob can keep your secrets, unless Headmaster asks," said Kob. "That not likely, unless there is trouble. You not making trouble, is you?

"Oh no, I only came here to learn. I would rather be home. There is a family of elves at home, but none of them have ever spoken to me transformed."

"Elves mind our own business, we do. If there is no danger to home, most would say nothing. They have seen you. Elves can see the animal magic," said Kob.

"Have you been here long?"

"My family been at our Hogwarts for over a thousand years. My great-grandfather was one of the first elves here."

"Kob, how old are you?"

"Kob is 347 years old. I have watched many wizards come and go from here. I will watch many more."

"Where do these pipes go?"

"I show you, young Harry. I show you parts of castle few humans ever cared to see."

Kob and Harry enjoyed their occasional visits, and Kob had been quite right. Harry learned a lot about the castle. He soon had an easy way into the forest. The kneazle traveled the small passageways in the walls easily. There was practically no place Harry could not go, if he wanted. Harry never was bored.

Most of Harry's afternoons had free time, since Hogwarts places such an emphasis on self-study and homework, and none of that was difficult. All of his weekends were free. Harry was a serious student, spending a time with Ron and Hermione in unused classrooms, in the common room, and in the library. Ron did as little as he could to get by, and Hermione did much more than was necessary. When Harry was done with his lessons, Ron would go off to play some game with Dean, Seamus, or Neville. Hermione spent her free time in the library. The forest frequently called to Harry, and Harry would find time to slip inside. He wouldn't go very deep on weekdays, but on weekends he had more time. Hagrid never realized Harry's questions about the forest were being put to such good use.

Hagrid became Harry's favorite adult at Hogwarts, and asked him many questions about animals in the forest. The Forbidden Forest had creatures in it that Harry had never seen, and Hagrid was an exuberant teacher. Harry started asking questions about helping injured animals, and before long, Harry had become Hagrid's unofficial assistant. Officially, Harry could enter the forest anytime he was with Hagrid, or when he had an assignment. It wasn't long before the kneazle was deep in the forest. Dumbledore was not the slightest bit worried about Harry when he was in the forest, and Hagrid was a bit dim, when it came to the potential dangers of the forest. Hagrid knew Harry was a natural in finding his way in the woods.

The acromantulas were the worst hazard near the school, and Harry stayed far away from them. Harry watched the herd of Centaurs from time to time. Two packs of wolves lived within 30 miles of the school. There was one pride of kneazles. He spent a little time with them, after the local alpha assessed Harry and considered him to be no threat. They were neither overly friendly, nor unfriendly. Some larger cats lived somewhat solitary lives in the mountains near the forest. Occasionally Harry would see the rare bear or two.

It was the unicorns that Harry liked to watch. They were beautiful and could also run great distances tirelessly. They were similar to kneazles in that they were very aware of their environment and they could make nearly instantaneous threat assessments. If anything caused a unicorn to get suspicious, they were simply gone. The herd let Harry get friendly with them. The first time he made the change into his human form, they scattered. He didn't get near them again until the following day. By the time fall term ended, Harry ran with them in both of his forms. The unicorns could always outrun him in both of his forms, but their running wasn't about racing, it was about the enjoyment of running with companionship. Harry enjoyed the warm burn of active muscles, and so do unicorns. Unicorns are able to communicate much the same way that kneazles do. A twitch of the ear here, a swish of a tail, a grunt, a whinney ... all of these gestures are communication, and Harry learned to communicate with unicorns. The unicorns are a peaceful, idealic community. Unicorns are also similar to kneazles in that they 'live in the moment'. Not only do they get more sensory information than humans, they experience those senses more fully. It is similar in how some creatures can see in color, while others can not. How does a color sensing being explain the color yellow to a creature that can only see in black and white? Anyway, Harry was having the time of his life at Hogwarts.

One of the high points of the fall term was the flying lesson with Madam Hooch. It is an understatement to say that Harry was a natural on a broom. His awareness of the environment coupled with his natural agility on the broom let him fly on a broom in ways his classmates would not dare. There was an altercation with the Slytherin boy Malfoy and Harry's room mate Neville's personal property, after Neville had been taken to the hospital wing. Malfoy had attempted to destroy the fragile object by throwing it from a considerable height, and Harry had snatched it out of the air before it could reach something solid enough to break it. His Head of House, McGonagall, had noticed the event, and assigned Harry to the house quidditch team. It never would have happened without Malfoy's hazing.

Harry enjoyed flying ... he enjoyed everything about being outdoors, and seeking for the snitch was like bird hunting, only now Harry could fly also. Harry's roommate, Ron, was bouncing off the walls with excitement, but Harry couldn't get that enthused. The game was fun, but it was just a game. Harry had played the hunt with his brothers and sisters for years. They didn't kill unless they were hungry, but they did enjoy the chase. When prey would get tired, they would go find something else to harass. The young cats played two variations of seek. The first one, they would sneak up and touch prey before it knew they were there. The second one, they would see who could touch prey first. Deer, rabbits, birds, you name it, they chased it at some time.

There was an incident in early October, during a quidditch match, that was curious. Harry's broom started acting erratic. If the observers hadn't known better, they would have thought the broom was trying to throw Harry off, like those movies about 'The American Wild West'. Harry made staying on the broom look easy. Harry actually caught the snitch in his mouth! Who would have ever dreamed that a quidditch player could catch the snitch with his mouth.

October 31st worth is also worth mentioning. Ron had unintentionally insulted Hermione during Charms class, and Hermione spent the afternoon crying in the girls' bathroom on the second floor. Harry didn't understand Ron and Hermione's emotional outbursts, but that is just the way they were. The Halloween Feast was just starting when Professor Quirrell announced there was a troll loose in the dungeon. The students were told to go to their common rooms. Harry and Ron went to get their year mate Hermione. As luck would have it, the troll found the three of them in the girls' bathroom. The troll was huge, but no match for Harry's speed and agility. Harry made dodging the troll look easy. While Harry was distracting the troll, Ron levitated its club and used said club to bang the troll in the head hard enough to give it a concussion. In the mean time, Harry had grabbed Hermione around the waist, and carried her like a rag doll over to the door. The professors showed up immediately after to take care of the unconscious troll. This event brought Harry, Ron, and Hermione closer. They ate together, and studied together after that. Most of the first years had formed groups based on study habits and similar interests, so Harry, Hermione, and Ron weren't so unusual, really. Harry was nearly as studious as Hermione, and Ron was a quidditch fanatic. Harry was the common factor that held Ron and Hermione together, for without him, their natural arguments would have driven them apart. Harry was friendly, but student friendship was not easy for him. He had secrets that he dare not share. He had no interest in games like exploding snap and gobstones. He had other things to do and places to GO.

November came, and Harry still had a problem with Ron's rat. The animal just wasn't right. Harry finally had that discussion he wanted with Professor McGonagall about the animagus transformation, and she demonstrated the change for Harry a few times. She knew her students were fascinated by her transformation. His many questions seemed to be just an enthusiastic first year's fascination. Harry thought he might learn something that would help Ginny. No one expects a first year student to be an active animagus. McGonagall's cat form wasn't quite right either. His kneazle senses were nagging at him. He finally put the inconsistancies together, and went to Headmaster Dumbledore. McGonagall looked like a cat, but she didn't act like a cat, in small ways that only a cat would notice. The rat was the same way.

Dumbledore acted immediately. It is known that an animagus's senses are sharper even when human, depending on the animal they are able to transform into. McGonagall probably would have sensed Harry's animagus ability if she had paid attention, since she was an expert on animagus transformation. Harry couldn't completely shed his cat-like behavior. Furthermore, she was a cat. She had never really had the occasion to spend time around the rat. Dumbledore had Professor McGonagall bring Ron to the office with his suspicious rat. Ron thought it was odd that his Head of House told him to take her to Scabbers the rat, and say nothing about what he was doing. The Transfiguration professor immediately put a cage around the rat, and silently led Ron and rat to the Headmaster. To make a long story short, the rat was an animagus, and that animagus was supposed to be dead. Dumbledore called Madam Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which led to questioning that proved Pettigrew the Rat was guilty of framing Sirius Black for murder.

Hermione noticed the article in the paper concerning Sirius Black. He had been released from Azkaban in poor health. The article pointed out Mr. Black had never been given a trial, and all parties connected with his incarceration were vilified. Sirius Black was officially guilty of no crime at all.

No one felt worse than Albus Dumbledore. He had been in position to know what was happening, and he had blundered badly. He discussed the topic with his deputy.

"Minerva," said Albus, "how could I have missed Sirius' innocence? Azkaban is a dreadful place, and most former inmates are a shadow of their previous self."

"I never questioned his guilt either," said Minerva. "I was close, emotionally, to Harry's parents, and made the easy assumption of his guilt."

"I was the leader of the Order," said Dumbledore. "They worked for me. I should have pushed for a proper trial, as leader of the Wizengamut. I can't think of a reasonable excuse. Harry should have been with Sirius, all of those years."

"Where was Harry?" asked McGonagall. "We looked diligently for him."

"Alas," said Albus, "that is not my secret to tell. I just recently found out, and the boy has been very safe, if not a little isolated."

"Well, there is nothing for it now, but to continue on," said Minerva. "You can't change what is done. When should we announce the next Hogsmeade weekend?" They drifted into matters of administration.

Dumbledore quietly reflected upon Harry's life. All of the time that Harry had been lost had been spent as a kneazle. Now that Black was recovering, what would happen with Harry? Would Black want guardianship? Was Sirius Black damaged from his stay in Azkaban? Was Harry damaged from his time spent as a kneazle? Albus had no answers.

Draco was not able to aggravate Harry at all. It didn't matter what he said about Harry's parents. He couldn't toss anything in Harry's cauldron during potions, since Harry would just catch it. Draco and his goons couldn't embarass or intimidate him. All they could get out of Harry was a blank face. Draco Malfoy knew Sirius Black's history. Sirius Black is his mother's cousin, on the Black side. Malfoy was calling Ron all kinds of idiot for not realizing the rat wasn't real. That rat betrayed Harry's parents, getting them murdered. One word led to another. Malfoy was trying his best to put a rift in the three for sport, as he was a general, all-around spoiled arse, and Harry Potter was a high profile target. Eventually he challenged Ron to a duel at midnight. Draco had no intention of dueling Ron. Ron named Harry as his dueling second, and Hermione followed out of habit.

Caretaker Filch showed up instead of Malfoy, and the three took off down the hallways to keep from getting caught after curfew. The chase was on. Filch didn't know who he was chasing, and he probably couldn't have had any success what so ever, if not for his cat. The cat could follow the noise the three made.

They hid behind a locked door on the third floor. Harry had not been here before. No pipes ran in the area, and his explorations hadn't led him here yet. Filch knew what was behind that door, and he knew students would not be there. Filch moved on, even though the cat did not want to. The students were up against the door. Detention would have been preferable. Ron was a gibbering mess. Harry was watching the three-headed monstrosity of a dog very closely. A fight would be bad, but he was thinking of what to do if it happened. Normally, he would have fled, but he wasn't alone. Harry wasn't looking forward to a find with the huge animal. He thought he could run interference, and was making plans. Hermione was the only one who noticed the trap door under the front feet of beast. She was able to quietly open the door, and they didn't waste much time evacuating the room. The discussion that followed in the common room revolved around what might be under that trap door the beast was unwilling to leave. The dog would have hurt them badly if it had left the trap door.

It was Hagrid that gave Hermione the first clue about what was under the trap door on the third floor. It was one of the times the three visited that Ron blurted out that there was a mean, vicious beast on the third floor. Hagrid immediately said, "Fluffy's not dangerous!" That led to questions of what 'Fluffy' was guarding, and Hagrid didn't hesitate to say that was Dumbledore's and Flamel's business. After that, he refused to answer any more questions about what Fluffy was doing. Hermione had to solve the mystery, and the three began the search, without much success.

Harry had a lot of freedom in the castle as a kneazle. He knew the routes the prefects took for their rounds during curfew. Mrs. Norris generally stayed away from the kneazle, and therefore, so did Mr. Filch. None of the teachers saw Harry if he didn't want to be seen, and he didn't want to be seen. Albus Dumbledore was the only one who knew Harry was a kneazle, and he was unaware that Harry was roaming around the castle as he did. The Fat Lady would have told him if that many late night exits were made. Albus expected some students to stretch the rules, as long as nothing serious happened. A night time trip to the kitchen could be expected, from time to time. Albus was much more concerned with Harry's humanity.

Two teachers regularly strayed from their expected areas. Professor Snape seemed to enjoy catching students out after curfew, especially Gryffindors. He would also make trips into the forest for potion ingredients. Proffessor Quirrell was anywhere and everywhere. There was still something really odd about him.

Harry had kept in contact with Ginny, as he had promised. They never mentioned anything about Ginny's animagus form, nor Harry's form, since letters could intercepted by teachers or parents. Their correspondence was still frequent and lengthy. Harry talked a lot about Hagrid, tending to wounded animals, and his trips with Hagrid into the forest. More importantly at this time, Harry had kept in contact with Xavier Figg. Xavier felt connected to his ward, and planned to treat Harry as if he were his grandchild. Harry was family. The Figgs were known for their integrity, tenactiy, and fierce dedication for justice. Harry was a bit behind the normal physical training schedule all Figg children followed, but Xavier thought he would have no trouble catching up. He would be taught a few things during Christmas break that he could take back to school. Xavier thought one of the older Figg grandchildren might be enlisted to tutor Harry at school.

It is said that time flies when you are having fun, and Harry was having fun, though not many had an idea how much the quiet boy enjoyed Hogwarts. The fall term was over and the end of term exams were no problem for Harry. Harry was rather good at potions, to the chagrin of Snape, who continued to throw insults at Harry. Harry scored well in all of his courses, except for history. Hermione was the only one who scored well in history.


	6. Chapter 6 Ginny's Transformation

Chapter 6: Ginny's Transformation

Xavier and Arabella were waiting at King's Cross to pick up their students. The trip went smoothly, and they were home in no time at all. Xavier wanted to talk to Harry after supper. When they were in Xavier's study, Xavier asked if Harry had any problems concerning school work, students, or the professors. Harry said he didn't know of any problems at all. He enjoyed the school work, flying, and working with Hagrid. He told Xavier about the study group friendship he had with Ron and Hermione.

Xavier asked for more details about the discovery of Peter Pettigrew. Harry said there wasn't much to say. The rat didn't act right, and he explained how his Professor's cat transformation didn't feel like a cat. She looked like a cat, but it just wasn't a normal tabby house cat. Xavier told him how pleased he was that Harry had acted on his 'gut feeling', and said that Harry had to trust himself. This would carry over into the training Xavier wanted Harry to start. All children at the compound were trained in self-defense with wand, weapons, and hand-to-hand. It had served the Figg family well down through their long history. They would start the training in the morning.

Harry walked out to the barn, found a secluded place, and 'kneazled'. He found his mother and siblings, and basked in the comfort of home. He wasn't exactly homesick, but nothing was better than this feeling of belonging. He fell asleep quickly. The kneazles took off for the hunt about four in the morning. It didn't take long for everyone to catch a snack. Food is stupid. Mice and rats were always trying to move into the graineries and farm buildings. They could smell food, but the wards confused them. Harry's brother found a rabbit. The siblings took off for a romp in the woods and ran into their father. He was coming back from who knows where, and Harry greeted him warmly. The regal, self-assured alpha radiated strength and authority. Harry spent many nights with his family through the holiday.

Harry hurried back to the barn, changed, and went into the house to clean up for breakfast. After a light breakfast, Harry followed Xavier and Darrell to a room with mats and excercise equipment. Xavier told Harry that most of the wizarding world didn't practice any sort of self-defense training. He thought that was why Voldemort, and others in the past, had been so effective in terrorizing people. The terrorists were greatly outnumbered, but the average witch or wizard only thought of escape. Many times this cost them their lives, or the lives of their loved ones. The House of Figg did not make this mistake. He told Harry that he had to meet any attack seriously. If the attacker was using deadly force, then Harry must fight to kill, as efficiently and effectively as possible. The worst mistake to make was to knock someone out that is trying to kill you, let him wake up later and kill someone. He also said that Harry would have to prove the need for self-defense to the ministry. The ministry could tell which spells had been used in a person's wand, and they were effective in analyzing a crime scene.

Xavier realized quickly that Harry was in great physical shape. He had Darrell show Harry standard hand-to-hand combat. Darrell was a seventh year Ravenclaw, and it wasn't long before Harry was giving him trouble. Harry was fast. Experience was the only advantage Darrell had. Xavier was pleasantly surprised. He decided to introduce Harry to weapons. He explained that any object ... belt, rope, stick, shovel, etc. ... could be a weapon. Harry should always carry something that could be a physical weapon. Xavier started Harry with his personal favorite, the bare axe handle. Knowledge with the light, strong axe handle transferred easily to the short sword, which is second to none in close quarters in a heavily populated area. Bare axe handle also works great in close quarters, for that matter. Darell would be able to spar with Harry at school to keep his skills current. Harry was introduced to a shield spell and a disarming spell.

Harry had the afternoon free, so he changed in the barn, and headed over to Ginny's. He climbed the tree, and saw her in her bedroom reading. He got her attention, and she went out to her father's hobby shed. The glass window was closed, during the winter. They quickly caught up with what the letters could not say. Harry wanted to tell her what he had learned from Proffessor McGonagall. McGonagall said the animagus transformation was all about natural ability, visualization and expectation. Some people make the transition to final form immediately, because that is what they expect. Others get the size wrong, and still others never make the final transformation, for several reasons, not the least of which, is fear. The book Harry and Ginny were using was just one wizard's way of making the transformation.

McGonagall spoke of three main types of self-transformation. The first is the animagus transformation, where the wizard takes on the full characteristics of the target animal. The second is the shape shifter, which takes on the physical characteristics of the animal, but not necessarily the instincts, senses, or abilities of the target animal. The third type is the metamorphmagus, which allows the wizard to change human characteristics to appear to be the twin of another human being. The metamorphmagus is a specialized type of shape shifter. There is a lot of variety in the three different groups, with respect to ability and success. All of the groups are rare among wizards, for different reasons.

Ginny was bursting to tell Harry what she had learned about cats. She had been going to the local library the last few months. There are thirty-eight different species of cats in the muggle world. Species are a biological group of individuals closely related in structure and capable of breeding usually only within the group. Aside from the similarities of appearance and retractable claws, there is one unique common denominator among all members of the family Felidae... the ability to purr. Only cats purr. The recognized species of cats are: six greater cats (Panthera), one cheetah (Acinonyx), and 31 lesser cats (Felis) including the domestic cat of which there are 40 plus recognized breeds. She said in the magical world, some cats even had wings. One caused quite an uproar in the muggle world in 1897 in Derbyshire. There were even some odd magically bred cross breeds like griffins, with the front body of an eagle and the hindquarters of a lion.

The library also said that many people in the UK had kept exotic cats as pets, or in private zoos. It wasn't illegal to turn the cats loose into the wild until 1981. To this day, a legal owner of a big cat isn't required by law to inform anyone if the cat escapes. It doesn't happen often, but the big cats are in the wild. They avoid people and are rarely seen. They might eat sheep once in a while, but the UK is full of deer and other smaller prey.

Ginny had seen a large lynx in November by the pond. The library said lynx can weigh two stone two pounds, get 47 inches long, and stand about 15 inches at the shoulders. A one year old lynx weighs a bit less. The cats take prey up to eight times it's weight when necessary. Lynx stalk deer, often when the deer is lying down. The cat rushes in and grabs it by the neck biting through the throat, base of the skull, or chest. The lynx prefers the much smaller meal of rabbit, but will kill deer in the winter when rabbits and rodents are scarce.

Ginny thought kneazles were a bit larger than lynx. Harry agreed, saying his father was about the same height, but was much more muscular, weighing about three and a half stone. Harry weighed a few pounds over two stone himself. She also thought, that since all cats were so similar, they should be able to modify their transformations to mimic any cat they wanted. Harry thought that was a great idea to try. They didn't know that conventional wisdom held that it wasn't possible. Truth is, few wizards tried the animagus transformation, and few still ever thought about modifying the form, let alone try it.

Ginny had been meditating on the house cat form since Harry went to Hogwarts. She had several illustrations of muscle and skeletal structure. She could hardly wait to try some limb transformation. After taking a few deep breaths, she had no problem with arms and legs, nor did she have trouble with the torso. She couldn't quite get her head to transform. She was ecstatic.

The next day, after Harry was able to get some free time, she made her first full transformation. If Ginny could bounce, she would have been bouncing off the walls. She had been following the instructions of the book that Bill had, so she had kept her full weight of six stone. A six stone housecat couldn't be seen in public, so she was going to have to get her size down. Harry decided to try to keep his weight of eight stone for a transformation. It took him about an hour, but he was able to do it. Tigers could get to be fifty stone, or more, but eight stone is a good size kitty. Harry saw no reason to make the larger transformation, but he could do it. It made Ginny feel a little better.

Albus Dumbledore made a floo call about a week before Christmas. Sirius Black wanted to visit Harry. Xavier had no problem with it if that was what Harry wanted. Harry decided to see him the next afternoon. Xavier had the meeting in the excercise room, and supervised the entire visit. There was no way he was going to let Sirius visit alone with Harry. Sirius had been in Azkaban, a virtual hell hole, for ten years. Many prisoners lost their sanity after a few years. The visit went well, and Xavier invited Sirius back the next day. Xavier spoke with Harry after Sirius left. He had come to know that Harry was a very good judge of character, a carry over from his kneazle form. Harry felt nothing suspicious from Sirius. Sirius was pleased to be there, but a little nervous.

When Sirius arrived the next day, he asked to be allowed to take Harry to Diagon Alley. Xavier gave his permission, and off they went. Sirius wanted to give Harry a Christmas present. Harry had not been planning to either get, or give, presents. Sirius told him presents didn't have to be expensive, that it was the thought that counted. He told him a card with a gift certificate was a good idea, and Harry readily agreed. They visited Harry's vault, and bought several certificates from the bookstore. Sirius asked Harry what he would like, and Harry had no idea. He didn't need anything.

They went to the pub for some butterbear, and Sirius asked for a private room, since they were starting to draw a little too much attention. He told Harry that he bore a striking resemblence to his father, and would have been nearly a perfect copy if he wore glasses and his eyes were hazel. Harry had the same green eyes his mother had. Sirius brought up his release from Azkaban, and asked Harry how it happened. He told Sirius the story about how the rat didn't seem right. Sirius said Pettigrew was now serving a life term in Azkaban, but Azkaban was too good for him. He apoligized to Harry for not thinking clearly after his parents were killed and getting himself thrown in prison. Harry said there was no reason to apoligize to him because he had been just fine. He didn't know his birth parents. He had spent most of his life with the Figgs. Harry didn't say anything about Kneazle Boy. It didn't occur to Sirius that no one else had caught on to the fact that Pettigrew wasn't a normal rat, and had been with the Weasleys for years.

Sirius asked him about Hogwarts, and once the topic of quidditch came up, that was all Sirius wanted to talk about. That was OK. Harry did enjoy flying. Their outing drew to a close, and Sirius asked if Harry would like to visit him sometime. Harry said maybe in the summer.

Christmas came and left with little fan fare. Harry got several small gifts from various people. Xavier gave Harry some books on healing animals. Sirius gave him a snitch so he could practice. Someone gave him an invisibility cloak, with a note saying it had been his father's. Harry continued training with Darrell, and spent as much time with Ginny as he could manage. It wasn't as easy as it might seem. She was able to get her cat down to about 3 stone, and still short of her one stone tartget.

Ginny was moping around the day before Harry went back to Hogwarts. She missed her brother Ron, her closest sibling in age. She missed Harry, who had become her best friend and confident. She couldn't visit Luna everyday. The only other person in the house during the day was her mother, and her mother treated her as if she were much younger than ten.

"Harry, I have really enjoyed visiting with you during the holidays. I don't know how I am going to make it to the summer time."

Harry replied, "Let's keep writing. You have found a lot of information on cats in general. Maybe you can find more for us. I would really like to find out more about the winged cat. Maybe I can find out a few things at Hogwarts about them."

"I know I can keep busy," she said. "I miss you. I have known you for five years. Now, I don't have GI or Harry."

"I know what you mean," said Harry. "No one knows me like you do either. I can hardly wait to show you Hogwarts. It is amazing. The castle is old, and full of rooms and passages. Magic is incredible to learn. You are going to like Hagrid. The Forbidden Forest isn't like anything around here. I can't wait to show you the unicorns. Keep practicing your transformation."

Ginny laughed. "I was practicing last night before I went to sleep. Mum almost caught me. She would have kittens."

Harry and Ginny just had to bide their time. The holiday season drew to a close, and the students were escorted back to King's Cross. Harry visited with Ron and Hermione on the train. A chocolate frog card gave them the next clue on their mystery of Dumbledore and Flamel. Dumbledore had been Flamel's apprentice. All in all, it had been a great holiday.


	7. Chapter 7 First Year, Spring Term

Chapter 7 First Year, Spring Term

Harry resumed his schedule as if he had not left. Course work was busy, but not too difficult. Study groups formed easily when necessary. Neville was the herbology expert. Hermione could give assistance in nearly every subject at any time. If she could not assist immediately, she was second to none in library research. Harry would help anyone with course work if he could. He found out that by helping others, he understood the material better than if he had studied alone. Harry became much more comfortable with his immediate study group.

A week into the spring term, Harry started using his invisibility cloak to go on exploration trips with Ron and/or Hermione. He had been all over the castle. One night he found a mirror that didn't show his reflection. It showed Ginny's animagus form. He thought it was so odd that he showed it to Ron early the next night. Then it became even stranger. It showed Ron's reflection, but he was wearing the badges of Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. Harry never took Ron back again, but he went back himself a couple times. He wanted to take Hermione, but she was spending her spare time reading, and didn't want to risk a curfew violation for an odd mirror.

The last night Harry visited the mirror, Dumbledore caught him in front of it. He had been working on the mirror for months to use as his ultimate protection for the Sorcerer's Stone. Albus was absolutely gobsmacked. He told Harry that the mirror showed people what their greatest desire was, even if it wasn't possible to attain. People had been known to waste away in front of this mirror, forgetting even to eat. Harry's greatest desire was a tiger house cat. Albus could not have that at all. After all, the boy is human. He told Harry that he was moving the mirror, and that he should not try to find it again. Harry told Hermione what had happened the next day, but he didn't tell her Ginny was the cat in animagus form. He hadn't told anyone about Ginny. The mirror worked. It made sense, really. Ginny was his first, and best, friend.

The mirror incident caused Hermione to shine the light of her intense scrutiny on Harry. No one operated on less sleep than Harry. He never went to bed before Ron, and he was always out of bed when Ron woke up. A few naps once in a while, and he was just fine. How could he do it? That mirror showed a person their deepest desires. Ron wanted to be Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. She thought that was a bit shallow, but that was Ron. She was a little afraid to see what her greatest desire was. But Harry's image floored both Hermione and Ron. How could Harry's deepest desire be a tiger house cat? The quiet boy had instantly become a puzzle more intriguing than what Fluffy was guarding.

Hermione knew Harry was a good study partner. He never spoke of home, family, dreams, or desires. Speaking about his experience with the mirror was unusual. He would mention a topic from class, and off they would go into the details of magic. Hermione knew the story of The Boy Who Lived, of course. He lived with the Figgs. Harry practiced defense with Darrell Figg once a week. Harry was never upset by what anyone said, or did, whether it be a student or professor. She had cried her eyes out, the day of the troll fiasco. She knew Ron would never have searched for her if Harry hadn't made the decision. Harry liked working with Hagrid, helping animals, and roaming the grounds. Harry had described some of his trips into the forest, and taken her and Ron to visit Hagrid. This was about all she knew of the boy she went to every class with, ate with, and studied quite a bit with. Hermione earned her reputation of being a bookworm, and it was easy for Harry to lead her into study topics. She might start asking Harry an occasional question that was non-school related.

Harry found a book in the library on winged cats. It is likely an Incan wizard was involved in their creation, since they had fur, feathers, and their wings were situated on the back as a completely separate set of appendages. They were small, weighing less than one stone. The wing span was a bit more than two feet. They were native to South America, and so rare they were nearly extinct. The book gave Harry details on skeletal and muscle structure. Harry thought this was going to be difficult to visualize, since it would be like growing another set of arms or legs. Harry wondered if he would ever see one.

Harry enjoyed flying on the broom, and he thought it would be fun to fly with his own wings. Harry started the "Flying Kneazle Project' by trying to add a pair of shoulders while in human form and kneazle form. It wasn't working very well. He was familiar with his owl and her wings, but her wings were essentially arms. Bats were essentially the same. Flying squirrels really don't fly, but their tricks were effective. How could he start wings on his back? He helped Hagrid last month with an injured Thestral, and he remembered how that wing structure had felt. Their wings were supported behind the rib cage about a third of the way down the body. Heavy bone fused to the spine formed a saddle below the skin to support the wing. They had a twenty foot reptilian wing span that folded from the shoulder to just past the hip. Hagrid explained how they are actually too heavy to fly, but their native magic is similar to a levitation charm. Not only do Thestrals control movement with their wings, but they also manipulate their weight. They do not change direction rapidly because of their mass. Other flying magical creatures use different methods to assist in flight. This project was not going to be easy, but Harry had time. Harry spent a lot of time, at night, on his project.

One night while Harry was crawling the pipe tunnels, he came across an object wedged in the pipes. He didn't want to make the transformation to human, no matter how small that transformation might be. He couldn't pick up the object with his paw, and couldn't reach it with his teeth. He thought about it for a while, and it occurred to him that if he could make a partial transformation while learning to be human, he could do it now. He changed his right paw into a hand, and plucked the object from the pipes. It was an odd piece of construction debris. He paused to ponder how effective a partial transformation could be. Maybe wizards were a bit short sighted when it came to the animagus transformation.

One afternoon in late April, Ron, Hermione, and Harry were discussing what Fluffy was guarding. It was a nagging mystery. Hermione's mind was drifting over the various curiosities of the wizarding world. She had researched Flamel in the library, and the only thing of great value associated with him was the Sorcerer's Stone, used in making gold and the elixer of life. Why would Dumbledore put that object in a hallway that students had access to, and then tell them to avoid the hallway? Isn't there a dungeon somewhere? No one in their right mind would hide an object that valuable in a school. More than once she had thought that the wizarding world was odd. Children were carrying weapons. No weapon was worse than a wand, in her opinion. Children had access to very dangerous creatures. Ron was down by the pitch one night waiting on Harry after he had practice. Snape and Quirrell had been arguing heatedly about loyalty. Ron was convinced they were arguing about the stone. Ron hated Snape, and practically anything about Slytherin House. Was Snape involved in the mess of the Stone? She had more than one mystery, this year. She had always enjoyed mystery books, and now she had her own ... curiosities.

One day in May, Harry arrived at Hagrid's hut, and found him poking around in the fireplace. He noticed Harry after Fang the boar hound enthusiastically greeted him.

"Lookit this, Harry, "said Hagrid. "Won it in a poker game las' night. A dragon egg."

Harry was impressed. "When will it hatch?" Harry's core was reading the egg.

"I've bin doin' some readin', said Hagrid. "Got this book outta the library. It's all here. Keep the egg in the fire, when it hatches, feed it on brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. This egg's a Norwegian Ridgeback. Don' know when it will hatch."

Harry and Hagrid were thrilled to be working with the dragon egg. One Sunday morning cracks began to appear in the egg. Harry asked Hagrid if he could go get Ron and Hermione, and he agreed, as long as no one else found out. Off he went, and soon the three were watching with Hagrid as the baby dragon emerged. It's wings were huge, compared to the slim, reptilian body.

"Isn't he beautiful? I am going to name him Norbert," whispered Hagrid.

"Hagrid, how fast do dragons grow?" asked Hermione. "You live in a wooden house."

"It's against the law to breed dragons," said Ron. "Everyone knows that. My brother is a dragon keeper in Romania."

A week later, the baby had tripled in size. Another week, and it tripled again. It was growing like the proverbial weed. Hagrid was spending all of his free time with it. Harry played with it a bit also. The little creature was surprising fast with its jaws. It would have its head relatively close to its body, watching a bug, then snap its neck straight and jump if necessary to catch the bug. Harry brought the baby mice and rats to eat. It was already flying short distances in the house. Norbert had four legs and a set of wings. His wings were below an armored ridge in his back about midway between the front and back legs. The back legs were much larger than the front legs, which put the wings at a good balance point with the long neck and tail. The wings reminded Harry of a bat's wings. There was a heavy mass of muscle on the leading edge of the wing near the body that gave the wings a surprising amount of mobility. The dragon was more snake than lizard in its movement.

Hermione reminded Hagrid he had a wooden house, and the dragon was going to be discovered soon. Hagrid said he knew that, but the baby couldn't survive yet on his own. Ron spoke up and said his brother Charlie's dragon preserve was always looking for dragons to improve the diversity of the blood lines. Ron would write him a letter. Ron did, and Charlie would be at Hogwarts a week from Saturday at midnight to pick up the young dragon. The dragon just needed to be in a fire proof crate for carrying. They would meet by the lake, between the gates and the river, outside the wards of Hogwarts. They couldn't miss the lake from the air.

That Saturday morning came, and Ron was bouncing. He reminded Harry and Hermione at breakfast that Charlie was coming at midnight, and Malfoy overheard him. Malfoy was still trying to aggravate Gryffindors, and he especially wanted to humiliate those three. He hadn't been very successful during the year. He watched the doors like a hawk the rest of the day. They went to Hagrid's about an hour before curfew, and didn't return. This would do it.

While Malfoy was reveling in the perceived glory of seeing the Gryffindors embarrassed, Charlie arrived with his crew. After a warm greeting, Charlie mentioned he was pressed for time, and they must go. Hagrid said a tearful goodbye to Norbert, and off they went.

Malfoy couldn't find Professor Snape. He was past the point of no return now. He would be a hero in Slytherin house in the morning. He had to go to Professor McGonagall. McGonagall was not happy. Students don't come to her quarters after hours with tales of curfew violations, especially when they themselves are violating curfew. Indeed, her students were not in the dormitory. Malfoy smugly watched the pressure rise in the professor. The Gryffs were going to get it. It was past midnight now, and out the front door she went, to see if she could confirm Malfoy's allegations. They met Ron, Harry, and Hermione coming up the steps. Mount McGonagall blew.

"DETENTION!" she cried. "Detention for all four of you. One hundred points from Gryffindor. First years outside the castle after hours. Miss Granger, I never would have thought you would do such a thing. Twenty-five points from Slytherin."

"Points from Slytherin?", stammered Malfoy. "I discovered them."

"You, Mr. Malfoy, are out past curfew. I will be speaking to your Head of House. Return to your quarters," said the Professor.

"Miss Granger. Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley. Follow me."

Not only were they out of the dormitory after curfew, but they were outside of the castle. McGonagall laid it down thick. Hermione was mortified. Ron was thinking about what was going to happen when his mother found out. Harry was completely unaffected. They had protected Hagrid's dragon. He could have worked with Hagrid alone, and never been caught out of the castle, but it seemed right to include Hermione and Ron, especially since his brother Charlie came to get Norbert. Points lost were not as important, and that was that. He knew none of them would mention the reason they were out past curfew. Hufflepuff does not have the monopoly on loyalty.

The next morning, in Slytherin House, Professor Snape was not a happy man. He had just returned from a breakfast discussion with Minerva McGonagall. He called the nearest student he could see.

"Miss Bullstrode. Please have Mr. Malfoy see me in my office."

A short time later, Malfoy said, "You sent for me, sir" He was going to receive congratulations for getting points removed from Gryffindor.

"Mr. Malfoy, do you think you belong in Slytherin House"

"Yes sir. My family has always been Slytherin."

"What does Slytherin personify?"

"Ambition and cunning, sir."

"Professor McGonagall told me what happened last night. Can you tell me what was ambitious and cunning about your performance? You lost points for Slytherin. What did you gain?"

"She shouldn't have taken points from me. I was the one who reported the infraction!"

"Mr. Malfoy, we have Prefects in Slytherin House, who had been on patrol by the way, for just this reason. What was CUNNING about your performance? NOTHING! You went straight to a Professor, and asked if you could please have a detention, and, oh by the way, please take some points too."

"My Father will here of this!"

"Mr. Malfoy! Draco ... you are my Godson. I have a significant portion of responsibility for overseeing your training, especially now that you are at Hogwarts. I am your Godfather and your Head of House. All you proved last night is that you are a simpering, spoiled, aristocratic brat. Your desire to go running to your father just underscores the truth of the matter. I see that I should be spending more time with you discussing ambition, goals, and methods to achieve what you desire. My door will be open for you, should you be willing to discuss such topics. I expect there to be no repeat of last night's debacle."

"Yes sir. Thank you. May I go now?"

"Yes, you may go. Good day, Draco."

Draco was stunned. Instead of being exalted, he had been reamed, well reamed, in fact. He had to give this some thought. He also had detention. He wondered what it would be. Writing lines? Cleaning floors without magic? His day was not going well.

It is ironic the four of them were assigned detention with Hagrid. Hagrid had found a dead unicorn in the Forest earlier in the day. He shouldn't have taken first year students into the Forbidden Forest when there was something lurking dangerous enough to kill a unicorn, but Hagrid has a tendency to underestimate danger from creatures. Hagrid's mother was a giantess, and Hagrid's skin has the consistency of leather. He weighs fifty stone, with well toned muscles and the strength of a gorilla. Hagrid had never been fragile at any time of his life. He actually thought this was a class field day, to reward the three for helping him with Norbert. Draco was just along for the ride.

Hagrid, with his trademark crossbow and Fang, led the students into the Forest. The full moon cast murky shadows on the ground. Hagrid was obviously at home in the woods, and stopped to discuss several points of interest. The came upon a clearing with a pool of shining liquid on the ground.

"Hagrid, this is unicorn blood. One of the herd is injured," said Harry.

"Harry, I found one dead this morning. I thought it was an unusual event. No animal preys on unicorns," stated Hagrid.

"We should leave. We shouldn't be here. There might be werewolves. This is dangerous. I am going to tell my Father," rattled the anxious Draco.

"Where is Harry?" asked Hagrid. "Stay here with Fang, and keep your eyes open. I am going to have a look about."

Hagrid took off to find Harry. He wasn't worried. He had taught Harry enough to be safe in the woods. He knew the boy was fond of the unicorns. Hagrid would follow the trail of unicorn blood. There wasn't a lot of it, so he was moving slow. Harry, on the other hand, was in kneazle form, and moving fast and quiet. This was a new feeling for him. He was angry, but it wasn't exactly anger. He was outraged that his herd was in danger. Something was still attacking the herd, and he was going to find it. He was a kneazle on full battle alert, more quiet than the whispering wind.

Harry saw the dark figure of a man bent over backwards on top of the injured unicorn making slurping noises. Harry instantly decided to kill this thing that harms his friends. Ears laid back, Harry accelerated quickly in the short distance. The man must have heard something at the last second, because he lifted his head in Harry's direction. Two and a half stone of determined kneazle bit him in the throat at forty miles an hour, canines reaching the spine, claws sank as deep in the body as he could sink them. They tumbled off of the unicorn in a mass of clutching arms and legs. They stopped in a jumble with Harry's back legs churning. He had lost his throat hold, but it didn't matter. The attacker passed out because his brain had lost its blood supply. Blood was everywhere, and none of it was Harry's. His front legs clawed the man's head as he died seconds later. A ghostly form rose above the body, and took off quickly in an easterly direction.

Harry immediately took human form, and went to attend the quietly suffering unicorn. He was able to stop the flow of blood, but he wasn't sure of the best treatment. Once the young unicorn was stabilized, Harry 'kneazled', and ran to find Hagrid. Harry jumped a small stream and noticed a fairly deep pool nearby. He jumped in and thrashed around. This removed most of the fresh blood from his fur. Harry took off again. Harry saw Hagrid coming through the woods, made the quick change, and walked on. Hagrid and Harry ran to the unicorn. The big man could move when he wanted to. Hagrid saw what Harry had done to stop the flow of blood, and he didn't think he could have done any better. Hagrid glanced over at the dead man, and muttered something about good riddance. Hagrid gently picked up the young one, and headed back toward Hogwarts with her cradled in his arms. They met up with the students, and soberly filed through the woods. They didn't notice the centaurs watching the procession.

Hagrid, Dumbledore, and a couple aurors returned in the morning to see who had attacked the unicorns. They found Quirrell's turban near a pool of unicorn blood, and what was left of Quirrell about twenty feet away. His throat was a mess, and his face had been devastated. Quirrell's robes had been ripped to shreds in places. The curiosity was a face on the back of Quirrell's head that was normally covered by the turban. Hagrid said it looked like a large cat had killed Quirrell, and Dumbledore kept his thoughts to himself. The aurors portkeyed the body away, Dumbledore apparated to the gates, and Hagrid started walking back to Hogwarts.

Later that day, Dumbledore sent for Harry. He asked Harry what happened in the forest. Harry told him he discovered a man in a dark cloak feeding on a unicorn, and killed him. He asked Harry if he knew who the man was and he said he didn't pay any attention to who it might have been. Albus asked what the man had said. Harry told him he had not spoken to him at all. This bothered Dumbledore. He asked why Harry had not tried to subdue the man. Harry told him he had killed one unicorn, and was in the process of killing another. Albus asked if Harry should have killed a man in defense of a unicorn. Harry said, "The unicorns are my friends. He had to die."

Harry had killed a man for attacking a unicorn. The ministry would give Harry a life sentence in Azkaban for that. Albus knew Quirrell was possessed when he examined the body. He wasn't positive it was Voldemort, but it was highly likely. Voldemort had to be stopped when ever he was encountered. He was evil incarnate. No one else would have drank raw unicorn blood. Albus decided he would try to have more conversations with Harry regarding morality and wizarding law. He was afraid Harry would be put away, if circumstances were different. Poachers are not uncommon in the wizarding world, but they seldom get more than a fine for breaking the law. Occasionally, they get a few years in the minimum security section of Azkaban. Harry had not hesitated to kill, in a most savage manner. Now Dumbledore had more worries about Harry. Harry was so young, and he was crucial for the future. He had to talk with Xavier soon.

The young unicorn healed quickly, and Harry escorted her back to the herd a couple days later. She thanked Harry for saving her life. The herd was appreciative as well. It never occurred to Harry to do anything differently. The herd would never forget.

The term was nearly finished, so Dumbledore canceled DADA classes for everyone except fifth and seventh year students taking ministry exams. He taught those classes himself. The students were told that Quirrell had been found dead in the Forbidden Forest, and nothing else. The Daily Prophet barely made mention of it. Dark Arts teacher found dead in Forbidden Forest. The Forbidden Forest is forbidden for good reason. Quirrell was not a well liked teacher, and discussion about him at Hogwarts soon stopped.

It seemed obvious to Albus that Voldemort had wanted the stone. He contacted Nicolas Flamel, and gave him the mirror, stone and all. They would find a different place to store it. They discussed Quirrell-Voldemort possession, and speculated on how Voldemort might resurface. Now that the stone was encased in the mirror, the pair thought the stone was as safe as possible. It had taken Albus months to accomplish, but it was some of his best work.

Once again Harry had no trouble with the end of term exams. Hermione had quickly immersed herself into her study routine and put detention behind her. She would claim top marks in most classes this year. Ron was no scholar, but he did all right. Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup and Slytherin won the House Cup. Harry's first year at Hogwarts came to an end.

Draco sat on the train back to King's Cross deep in thought. His marks were third in class, behind Granger and Potter. He wouldn't have minded being beaten by Ravenclaw, but by two Gryffs? Top marks went to a mudblood. He wasn't looking forward to telling his performance driven father, Lucius. He also had to tell his father how he lost the points and earned a detention. It would not be in his best interest for his father to find out from someone else. He remembered his conversation with Severus Snape. Was he not worthy to be Slytherin? He would make a point of spending time alone with his godfather this summer. He was a Malfoy. Malfoys were leaders. He would be Slytherin personified.


	8. Chapter 8 Summer Break One

Summer Break One

Xavier and Arabella met the students at the station. Darrell and his cousin would attend graduation ceremonies next Saturday. While they congratulated them for finishing the Hogwarts curriculum, Harry followed Ron and Hermione to the edge of the platform. Several sets of parents were there making light conversation. Hermione introduced Ron and Harry to her parents. Ron introduced Hermione to his parents. The Weasleys suggested they all meet at the Burrow during the summer to get better acquainted. The Grangers could learn more about the wizarding world while Ron visited with his friends.

Ginny stepped up beside Harry, and gave his hand a little squeeze. She gave Ron a hug, and nodded to Hermione. She had so much to say, and she couldn't do it here.

The first night back, Harry ran over to Ginny's house, up the tree, and through the open summer-time window. Ginny quickly hugged the transformed Harry. "I've missed you," she whispered. They still needed to be quiet. All of the Weasleys hadn't gone to bed yet, and it would never do for Harry to be discovered in Ginny's room. She couldn't leave either, since it was normal for her to be out at that time of night. It was Ron's first night back, and he had already visited twice. Harry could transform rapidly now, when necessary. They spent a quick two hours with no interruptions.

"I can get small now," Ginny said. "Mum caught me a few times too. She fed me some treats. I just had to eat them. Watch." She made a fairly quick change.

"Good job," said Harry. "Now we are going to have to teach you how to communicate in kneazle. You and I are going to be able to go all over Hogwarts, and in to the Forest." Harry changed back to kneazle, and they both spent time in cat form. It became apparent she wasn't going to be able to communicate the way kneazles do, because house cats do not have the 'awareness' of kneazles. Harry went home. Ginny wondered why she had focused so much on the house cat, and not a kneazle. Could Harry make the transformation into a house cat? She wondered if she could change into a kneazle, as she fell asleep.

Kneazles can sense emotion. They can send and receive emotional 'impulses'. That is why it is so easy for a kneazle to sense deception. If humans had a kneazle's ability to sense emotion, only a delusional person could successfully deceive another person. A person would have to believe the false information is the truth. Since Ginny wasn't a kneazle, they had to expand on the sign language kneazles use, and add their own sounds and signals. They actually developed their own language.

Xavier wanted to talk to Harry after breakfast the next morning. They met in his study. He asked Harry if he had any pressing concerns, and Harry said no. Xavier said the Headmaster had stopped by last week, mentioning two areas he was very concerned with.

"Harry, Albus mentioned the 'Mirror of Erised' that showed your greatest desire is a small tiger house cat," said Xavier. "He hoped it would be something like your parents, or some sort of achievement."

"Why is Dumbledore so interested in me? I don't really remember my parents. My foster parents have been great. I can't imagine what I need to achieve that I don't already have. The tiger cat is my best friend, and I missed her," replied Harry. "I have known her for about five years." He had no intention of mentioning Ginny. There was no reason to risk Ginny's mother finding out what she had done. Harry had learned some of what can go wrong, from his conversations with McGonagall. Anyone who knew Molly Weasley knew how protective she was.

"I don't think it is terribly important," laughed Xavier. "Desires are always changing. They never stop changing throughout one's entire lifetime. It really shook up Dumbledore though. The second item is more serious. He mentioned you killed a poacher."

"Yes sir. He had killed one unicorn, and he was killing another. He had to die," said Harry. Harry explained how he killed the poacher. Xavier's eyes widened a bit.

"I agree, Harry, for a different reason. This issue is problematic, though. Normally, the only way you can justify killing a poacher to the DMLE is when you yourself are directly attacked. They believe a large cat killed the poacher, and they have no idea that cat is you. You probably know now that the poacher was your Professor Quirrell. You probably do not know that Quirrell was most likely possessed by the wondering spirit of Voldemort. That poacher was extremely dangerous. You probably would have been severely injured, or killed, if you hadn't caught him by surprise. Surprise can be very effective in battle. I want to say that you should have waited for Hagrid, but I suppose 'all's well that ends well'. You were lucky, and luck is always a factor in battle. One can not, however, depend upon luck. Does this make sense to you?"

"Yes sir," replied Harry. "Unicorns are not prey. They are the same as you, me, a kneazle, or a thestral. I can speak with them, though thestrals are not easy for me to talk to. I will always protect them."

"You are going to need to be very careful with that, Harry. The DMLE does not agree, and will give you life in prison for killing people unless you are defending a human. I understand your reasoning. Be very careful, Harry. You must be able to prove you had to use deadly force," explained Xavier. "I don't think you could have proved it to the DMLE this time, but it has been proven to my satisfaction."

He continued, "The last thing I want to say concerning the death of the poacher, is this. Albus Dumbledore is a pacifist, to the extent he will stretch every available doubt concerning the use of deadly force. He will rarely use deadly force himself, and he doesn't like to see it used at all. Be very careful around him. I disagree with him, since I believe his actions cause unnecessary injury and death." Harry just nodded his head.

"The last item I have for you this morning is a request from Sirius Black. He has asked me if you could visit with him. Do you want to?" asked Xavier.

"Yes sir. I do. He told me he is my godfather, and I sense his desire to spend time with me," said Harry. "He knew my parents. He doesn't want to meet me because I am The Boy Who Lived. I think I should try."

"Very well. I will let him know," said Xavier. "I would like to see you in the training room at 10:00. I will see you later, Harry." Harry nodded, and walked out.

Harry's went to the training room a bit early. He was practicing defense forms when Xavier arrived. Xavier caught his attention, and motioned him over.

"Darrell tells me he can't get past your defenses, both in hand to hand and axe handle. Darrell has been training, in some fashion, for ten years. He starts auror training this fall. Lad, you are the strongest eleven year old I have ever seen. You have spent most of your life as a kneazle, and it looks like kneazle speed and strength has carried over as a human. Speed rules, in a physical fight, and you are fast. Hell, speed rules, period. I think it will still be good for you to practice, but I don't have anyone who can take you farther in physical training here in the compound. We just teach basic defense here, hand-to-hand and hand held weapons one might find laying around, like a broom, mop, or shovel. You could go further in your training, but that is up to you. Just keep practicing your forms to stay familiar with physical defense. Spar with someone when you have time. The practice will keep you sharp. If you want more training, let me know. I was an auror in my younger days, and my family fought Voldemort in his bid for power. I can find people to train you."

Sirius arrived Harry's second week of holiday. They went for a long walk on the property. Sirius thanked Harry again for getting him out of Azkaban. "Harry," he said. "I want to thank you for getting me out of that hell hole. I doubt anyone can explain just how bad that place is. I was a trained auror, and I didn't know what it was really like."

"I didn't do anything, Mr. Black," said Harry. "I just pointed out an odd rat to Headmaster Dumbledore. It seemed odd, like Professor McGonagall's animagus cat form seemed odd. I had no idea doing that would set you free. I'm not even sure why I told the Headmaster, anyway. I just ... did."

Harry smelled like a cat, but Sirius would never bring it up. "Harry, don't call me Mr. Black. Call me Siri, Sirius, or Padfoot. Mr. Black just sounds ... wrong. I can't believe I let that rat get the best of me, and get me put in prison."

"Why didn't they give you a trial? Why didn't you say something?" asked Harry.

"It's pretty complicated. My best friend was dead. A good friend was suspected of being a traitor. Another good friend WAS a traitor, the rat. I wasn't thinking clearly. All of those witnesses saw me kill him after he accused me of being the traitor. Hell, I should have been the secret keeper. What else were they to think? I should have had a trial, though. Everyone expects a prisoner to lie to stay out of Azkaban. I should have been given veritas serum. Dumbledore has apologized."

"What did Dumbledore have to do with it?" asked Harry. Dumbledore's name came up often.

"That is complicated too. He advised your parents to hide under the fidelius charm. He was told Voldemort wanted to kill your parents. When they were murdered, Dumbledore thought I was the secret keeper, since your parents told him it was supposed to me. My family has a history of working with dark wizards. I thought it was a great idea to switch with the rat, and everything fell apart. Bad deal all around. Dumbledore is Chief Mugwump of the Wizengamut. A word from him to the correct person, and I would have had a trial. I blame myself for getting thrown in prison. I have had a long time to think about what happened. I could not have been more stupid if I tried. I could have told my boss at DMLE what happened before I went after Pettigrew, but I didn't. I just had to get the rat. What could the rat do to me? I thought I knew him."

"Sirius, I think I am a pretty good judge of people. I am going to trust you. Professor McGonagall told me that the better senses of one's animal form tend to transfer, to some extent, to a person's animal form. Now that I know what to look for, I am sensing something similar with you. Are you an animagus? I am told it is rare, but Pettigrew was, and you seem to be also."

"Wow Harry. How did you figure that one out. I am a large dog. It is probably the only thing that kept me from going crazy in Azkaban. The dementors didn't affect me as badly when I was a dog. Your parents were animagi also. They were deer. Usually, only another animagus can sense an animagus. Not every animagus can do that, though. There is also a spell taught to aurors to reveal an animagus."

"I am an animagus. Now you know, Dumbledore knows, and so does Xavier. Xavier told me it is in my best interests to keep my animagus ability secret. Will you keep my secret?" asked Harry.

"Sure, kiddo," replied Sirius. "Can I see your form?" Harry looked around. There was no one this far out in the woods. He made the change. "No wonder you smelled like a cat!" exclaimed Sirius. Sirius made his transformation into the grim-like dog, and started to tackle the cat. Harry took off like a shot. Sirius made a half-hearted attempt to catch up, and stopped. He changed back.

"Geez Harry, you're faster than your dad. How long have you been a kneazle? I thought we were pretty young, and we didn't make the transformation until our fourth year at Hogwarts," said Sirius.

Harry dropped his other bombshell. "I've been a kneazle for almost ten years. I didn't change back to human form until it was almost time to go to Hogwarts. If I hadn't been living with the Figgs, I may have never changed back."

Sirius had to sit on the ground. No wonder Dumbledore was anxious. Harry was almost 12, and had spent most of his life as a cat. "Harry, if you ever have any questions, or need anything, let me know. Your dad was my best friend, and I promised him that if anything ever happened to your parents, I would take care of you. I blew it. They got killed, and I went to prison. I just want you to know I am here for you, any time, any place. All you have to do is ask."

Harry looked at the ground. He just made the standard disclaimer. "I can't think of anything. I am fine. I'll let you know if anything comes up." Sirius seemed genuine, and they spent the rest of their time talking about Harry's year at school. What happened to Quirrell didn't come up at all. Sirius thought they ought to go flying next time they met, and that sounded like a good idea to Harry. He wasn't likely to spend much time with Sirius, since most of his time was spent at Hogwarts.

Xavier knew Harry would be head of House Potter, and he had Harry studying House history. He had a seat on the Wizengamut when he came of age. When Xavier didn't have something for Harry to do, Harry would disappear. Xavier gave him a lot of freedom. He spent time with Ginny as a kneazle, but Ginny couldn't leave the property, so they were pretty limited in what they could do. Ginny liked to read, and make pencil sketches. It was easy for her and GI to take walks in their woods.

One afternoon Ginny and GI were at the edge of Weasley property, by the pond that was fed by the river. Ginny asked, "GI, can you look like a house cat if you want to?" Kneazles were distinctive, with their size, spotted fur, and tail. Housecats were everywhere. It wasn't very difficult for Harry to change his size and fur a bit to look like a house cat. He was still a kneazle in every way. She asked, and he did it without giving it much thought. Two house cats were down by the pond.

Harry took Ginny hunting, and she enjoyed using her cat senses to hunt. Harry caught a mouse, and promptly ate it. Ginny wasn't really ready to eat mice, and decided to pass. Hunting was fun, though. They went back to the pond, and started discussing one of Harry's projects: The Flying Kneazle.

"Harry, what did you find out at Hogwarts about flying cats?" asked Ginny.

"Remember the pictures of the skeleton in that book you found, Ginny? They are smaller than a house cat, with a wing span of two feet. I have got to grow a second set of shoulders on the lower side of my rib cage. It is really different. I have worked with thestrals, who have a similar set of wings, and I played with Hagrid's dragon a few times. The dragon is a bit different, with the size of the back legs and huge wings. Dragons can ride the wind currents like vultures do. I have the skeletal structure of the shoulders now, and the start of the arms. It feels tight and confining. I have to choose between feathers and webbed wings. I wish I could see a live flying cat. That would help a lot."

"Let me see what you have done," said Ginny.

Harry made the transformation. He had developed the first long bones of his wings. "I've got a long way to go," he said. "It's difficult, when I don't really know what I need to do."

Ginny said, "We don't have any wizarding zoos, like the muggles do. Most of the people who have odd animals that the muggles don't know about are hobbyists and large land owners. Hogwarts might be able to arrange for some flying cats in their Care of Magical Creatures class. Charlie used to love that class. That is how he became interested in dragons. Mom may never forgive Charlie's professor for that."

"I won't have Care of Magical Creatures until my third year," said Harry. "I'll ask Hagrid what he knows about flying cats. He knows a lot of people who work with animals. Maybe Xavier would know someone. What have you been drawing?"

"Oh, this, that, and the other ... a little bit of everything," she said. "Want to see?" Harry and Ginny could burn up time quickly.

The Weasleys liked to fly, so Harry spent some time with them flying. It was easy to get an invite to visit the Burrow. Ron studied quidditch playbooks and history, but that didn't appeal to Harry. Quidditch was really just a game. Ron also studied chess, and chess didn't appeal to Harry either. Ron was someone he went to school with, and that was about all.

From Ron's point of view, Harry was frankly, boring. Yeah, Harry was The Boy Who Lived, but that doesn't go very far for friendship. At school, Harry liked to hang around Hagrid, and tend to the grounds and animals. Harry actually enjoyed running! If he was inside, it was likely Harry was reading a book, on homework of all things. Ron didn't really understand why Harry was in Gryffindor. He was practically a coward, because he wouldn't stand up for himself by pretending he hadn't heard what was said. If someone confronted Harry, he was likely to just stand there looking at who was harassing him. As far as Ron was concerned, Harry should have been in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. He was great to do homework with though. The biggest draw for Ron personally, was that Harry was on the quidditch team.

The Grangers didn't visit the Weasleys until late August. Harry was invited to the afternoon picnic. He was already there when the Grangers pulled into the driveway. Arthur called out to Molly, and they greeted the Grangers as they got out of their car.

"Welcome to the Burrow, Doctor Granger," said Arthur. "I have been looking forward to your visit."

"Please, call me John, Mr. Weasley. I get Doctor Granger all the time at work. You remember my wife, Jane, and my daughter, Hermione."

"Call me Arthur. My wife, Molly, and I are glad you could come."

They had a pleasant lunch, and it wasn't long after, that groups split off from each other. Arthur and John were in Arthur's tool shed, discussing his collection. Molly was in the kitchen with Jane showing her how the wizarding world cooks. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione stayed at the picnic table discussing their summer holiday, and the upcoming school year.

"Ginny, are you looking forward to going to Hogwarts this year? asked Hermione. "I didn't know about the wizarding world until my letter came. I almost didn't reply. I shudder to think how close I came to missing everything."

"Yes, I can hardly wait. It is so frustrating to grow up in the wizarding world, and be too young to do magic. The rules for underage sorcery won't even let us have a wand until we start school. We do have some training wands, for turning on lights and working the stove and such, but that isn't the same as having one's own wand. If I didn't have enough magic to go to school, I would be a squib. The wizarding world treats squibs like shite," explained Ginny. "I can't WAIT to go. Oops."

Ginny had knocked her glass off the table. Harry was sitting across from her at the end of the table. His hand flashed out and caught it, without him even thinking about it. "Bloody hell, you're fast!" exclaimed Ron. "No wonder you are on the team. I hope I can make the team." That started Ron on a quidditch dissertation, and the other three zoned out for a while. Hermione added this event to her list on Harry Potter.

Ginny spoke up. "We are going to Diagon Alley tomorrow for school supplies. Have you guys been to get your stuff?"

"I went for my books early in the summer. I wanted to get some early reading in," said Hermione. "I wouldn't mind going to the bookstore again."

"I want to look for some books myself," said Harry. "What time are you going?"

"I will go ask Mum," said Ginny. They all followed her. "Mum, what time are we going to Diagon Alley tomorrow? Harry and Hermione might like to be there about the same time."

"Probably around 10:00," said Molly.

Hermione was the first to show up at Flourish and Blott's. They had grab bags of books that weren't selling well, packaged for sale at a greatly reduce price. Hermione had bought two, one for each hand. This was the second time she had done this. She told herself she would get rid of the books she didn't want, but Hermione never let go of one of her books. One day she planned to make a library in her house.

Harry was the next to arrive, and he went straight to the section on magical creatures. Hermione followed him, as she had all the books she was going to buy today. "What do you think Hagrid will bring to the school this year?" she asked. She remembered the incident with the dragon vividly. "There is no way of second guessing Hagrid," replied Harry. "He finds injured animals all of the time." Harry found a couple books, and made his way to pay for them. The store was getting crowded. A book signing event was being set up.

Lucius and Draco Malfoy walked out of Knockturn Alley, and drifted toward Flourish and Blott's. Lucius had just left Borkin and Burkes trying to unload some contraband items. The ministry had increased the frequency of raids recently, and he had a few items to get rid of that he had no real use for. Today was payday for the ministry employees, and Lucius knew Arthur Weasley's family would be shopping. Quite predictable, really. Arthur worked for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Weasley was one of the individuals on the ministry team making the raids. Lucius was planning to give Weasley a problem. The pair arrived at the book store just before the Weasleys.

"Father," said Draco, "Those two are the top students for our year, Potter and Granger."

"I see," said Lucius. Lucius glanced at the door as the Weasleys walked in. They already had their arms full from shopping at other stores. This would be easy.

"Well, well, well," drawled Lucius with the patented Malfoy sneer, "Arthur Weasley."

"Malfoy," said Arthur tightly. The two had a long standing feud.

"Been busy at the Ministry, I see," stated Malfoy. "All those raids. I hope you are being productive. Hate to see you work all of that overtime, and have all of that time go to waste." He reached into Ginny's cauldron, and picked up a few of her books. One was an especially battered copy of A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration. "I mean, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard, if one isn't effective."

Arthur Weasley turned red faced. "I have a different opinion of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he stated.

"Clearly," noted Malfoy, with his eyes straying to Hermione's parents who had walked over also. "The company you keep, Weasley. I didn't think your family could sink any lower."

There was the thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying. Arthur Weasley had launched himself at Lucius Malfoy, careening into a large bookshelf. They both went to the floor, rolling and wrestling. From his vantage point, Draco noticed his father pull a small book from his pocket. In all of the excitement, it is doubtful anyone else noticed. Draco was very surprised his father had spoken one word to Weasley. Now, this book was clandestinely placed with others in the resulting mess. Draco was taking it all in. His father had set this up.

"Break it up there, gents, break it up," stated Hagrid loudly as he walked up, and he picked up both men as if they were children. "You are causing a disturbance." Lucius looked at Draco, dusted himself off, and left the store, with Draco close on his heels.

Everyone paid for their purchases, and left. Molly and Arthur had a few more stops to make with Percy and the twins. The Grangers offered to buy the remaining four some ice cream while they waited. "Well, that was exciting," said Mrs. Granger.

"Malfoys!" grumbled Ron. "Pure-blood bigots. They have been gits for generations. Wish Dad had put him in St. Mungo's."

"Well, it's over," said Mr. Granger. "We ought to think about more pleasant things, and enjoy this ice cream."

Conversation drifted to accidental magic and enrollment at Hogwarts. Xavier told Harry he had been enrolled at Hogwarts since he turned one year old. His parents had pre-paid for all seven years. It was traditional for all of the old families to enroll their children as soon as their children showed evidence of magic. They were very proud of their magical children. Hermione asked about muggle-born wizards, and Ron said most times the Ministry just waits until a child turns eleven before they contact the parents, unless the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad is needed. If that happens, the Secrecy Statutes require a muggle-born wizard's magic be temporarily bound until they attend Hogwarts. If a muggle-born student refuses enrollment, their magic is permanently bound. This is done to protect the wizarding world from discovery.

"My magic would have been bound!" exclaimed Hermione. "That's awful!"

"There are those that want to bind all muggle-borns as soon as they are discovered," said Ginny. "The pure blood bigots have tried several times to pass legislation. Any witch or wizard that doesn't complete their schooling up to fifth year has their wand snapped and their magic permanently bound. They are turned into squibs. The process can not be reversed. It is one thing to be born a squib, since no one knows why that happens. Being squibbed is worse, because a person knows what they lost. I would want to just die."

On that somber note, the Weasleys returned, and everyone went their separate ways.

About three days before school started, Harry had a visitor. An odd little house elf popped in while he was down by the river, reading. "Who are you?" asked Harry.

"I am Dobby, sir. Dobby the house-elf. So long has Dobby wanted to meet you," said the small elf.

"OK," said Harry. "What do you want? People don't usually come looking for me."

"Dobby has never been asked by a wizard what I want, like an equal," wailed Dobby.

While Harry was waiting for the elf to settle down, the elf jumped up and started banging his head on a tree. "Bad Dobby. Bad Dobby," he shouted.

"What are you doing?" said Harry. He was beginning to think the elf was insane.

"Dobby had to punish himself, sir. Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir ..." whispered Dobby.

"Do they know you are here? asked Harry.

"Oh no, sir, Dobby will have to punish himself for coming to see the great wizard, Harry Potter," explained Dobby.

Harry knew a few elves, and none of them acted like this one. He asked, "What are you doing here, then?"

"Harry Potter triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," explained the elf. "Dobby heard tell that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord again just a few weeks ago, and triumphed again."

Harry was getting uncomfortable now. As far as he knew, only Dumbledore, and Xavier knew he was involved in the incident in the Forest. "What are you doing here? he asked again.

"Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him. Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts," said the elf.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry. "I am going to Hogwarts."

"No, no, no," mumbled the elf. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."

"WHY?" asked Harry.

"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make terrible things happen at Hogwarts this year," explained Dobby. "Harry Potter must not go back. Sir, this is a danger you must not face. Say you won't go back."

"I am going back," said Harry. "The Ministry would try to break my wand, and bind my magic if I don't go back."

"There are other schools to go to. Dobby knows Harry Potter's secrets," said the elf. "All the elves know. You leave Dobby no choice." The elf disappeared.

What a strange elf, thought Harry. He needed to talk to Xavier. He met Xavier in the garden after supper. "Sir," said Harry. "I met a strange elf today in the woods. He said there was a plot at Hogwarts this year that puts me in danger. He told me I should not go back. He said he knows my secrets. What do you think I should do?"

"I have never heard of anything like this happening before. This is not normal behavior for an elf. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just keep your eyes open. You have to do that anyway," explained Xavier. "Go get packed for the trip to the station tomorrow. I will see you in the morning."


	9. Chapter 9 Second Year, Fall Term

Chapter 9 Second Year, Fall Term

Xavier and his sisters-in-law escorted three students to the station. Darrell and his cousin graduated last year. The Figgs had a second, a fifth, and a seventh year student now. Harry and Arabella said hello to the Weasleys and Grangers. Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny boarded the train as it was getting ready to pull out. Molly was sending her youngest off to school, and she was going to have 'empty nest syndrome' ... bad.

Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny had found a large compartment near the middle of the train. They were just settling in when Luna Lovegood came by looking for Ginny. Ginny was one of the few people she knew. They had plenty of room for one more. They were a bunch of eleven and twelve year olds, and they didn't take up much room. Ron was working on it. He was growing like the proverbial weed.

Ginny was bubbling with the excitement of her first trip to Hogwarts. "Luna," she asked, "What house are you hoping for? I am hoping for Gryffindor, to be with my brothers and Harry."

"It doesn't matter to me," replied Luna. "The course work is all the same."

"You don't want to be with those gits in Slytherin," said Ron. "It's filled with snobs and bullies."

The door opened, and there stood Draco Malfoy, with Crabbe and Goyle slightly behind him. "I couldn't help but hear your whining voice, Weasley. Why wouldn't the girls want to be in Slytherin? Don't you want your sister to find a suitable husband? She is a pure blood. She will probably have to work her way up though, with her lack of a dowry."

"You leave my sister alone," warned Ron.

"Why, what are three girls, you, and a coward going to do about it?" drawled Draco. He looked around the compartment to see the reaction he got. He expected the outraged faces, but he didn't expect the cold, green eyes watching him from the window seat. He had never got a rise out of Potter before. Those eyes were ... uncomfortable. "Come on boys, lets leave these losers," he sneered as he left. Draco was starting to venture into trouble, and he didn't know it. He was starting to actually believe some of the drivel he said.

"See what I mean, Luna? snarled Ron. "There is nothing good in Slytherin."

"Oh, I don't know, Ron," said Luna. "He seems to be all noise. There was only three of them. That isn't the whole house."

"You wait and see, Luna," said Ron. "You just wait, and see. The best a person can hope for from them is silence. Even the silent ones will stab you in the back."

The rest of the trip was uneventful. The train arrived at Hogsmeade station. Ginny and Luna left with the rest of the first years, while Ron, Hermione, and Harry got into a carriage.

"I wonder how these carriages move," said Ron. "It might be fun to charm a cart that moves on its own."

"Ron, you really should read Hogwarts, A History. It tells all about the thestrals that pull the carts. Only a person who has seen death can see them."

"They are a bit thin," said Harry, "but they have powerful wings. Hogwarts has the largest herd of thestrals in the world."

"Can you see them, Harry," asked Hermione.

"Yeah, I have always been able to see them," replied Harry. "They are really pleasant to work with."

The three filed into The Great Hall, and took seats at the Gryffindor table. Soon, the sorting ceremony started. Harry didn't pay much attention until Luna Lovegood was called. Ginny visited with her from time to time in Ottery St. Catchpole, and he thought she would continue to do so here. She went to Ravenclaw. Several names later, Ginny Weasley's name was called. Ron was certain she would be assigned to Gryffindor, and he was correct. The only reason he thought she would go to Gryffindor was that Weasleys usually go to Gryffindor. It isn't like he understood the process. Fall term generally started on Friday, and today was no exception. Starting on Friday allowed the students two days to get settled into the castle before classes started.

The sorting ended, and Headmaster Dumbledore introduced the man, Gilderoy Lockhart from the book signing, as the new DADA teacher. Hermione, and about half of the rest student population, seemed to be excited about this new professor, who was an amazing fighter and adventurer. The Sorting Feast started with the arrival of the food. As usual, Harry was listening to the conversation around him, saying very little himself.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts is going to be much better than last year," said Hermione. "I've read all his books. We're going to learn so much!"

"Mum has read all his books," said Ginny. "I think she will want to come back to school herself. I have looked through a couple of his books, but they didn't really grab me."

"Which ones, Ginny? asked Hermione. "I really liked Voyages with Vampires. It was so exciting when he staked the master vampire."

"I looked through Gadding with Ghouls. We have a ghoul in the attic, but he doesn't cause any harm. He is a bit noisy, now and then," said Ginny. "Our old ghoul wouldn't hurt anyone. What are you thinking, Harry?"

"Huh? Oh, I was thinking about Hagrid. I am going to go see him after breakfast in the morning. Do you want to go with me?" asked Harry. That didn't surprise Ron and Hermione, since Harry was a regular fixture there.

"Yeah, I'd like to go down there. I want to see all of Hogwarts," said Ginny.

"I'm going to the library," replied Hermione.

"I think I'll pass, Harry. Knowing you, you will help Hagrid clear brush, or something. Boooorrrring," said Ron.

Saturday morning Harry waited for Ginny in the common room. He had already been deep in the castle. Ginny came down the stairs, and they went down to breakfast. "You are going to like it here, Ginny," said Harry. "There is so much to do, it is hard to do everything I want to. There is so much to see. The castle is huge. The Forbidden Forest extends into the mountains. It really does have dangerous plants and creatures in there. The spiders are huge, and they prey on everything that moves. The unicorns are fun." Harry went on and on. Hermione was stunned at Harry's behavior. The boy was normally so quiet. Ginny absorbed it all. They ate a quick breakfast, and left. Dumbledore was happy to see Harry with Ginny. He had no idea what they were talking about, but he didn't much care what it was. Harry was spending time with a fellow student, and it didn't appear to be about homework.

On the way to find Hagrid, Ginny opened up. "My mind is still spinning," she said. "I don't have Mum looking over my shoulder all the time. Don't get me wrong, Harry. I love Mum, but she smothers me. She thinks I am still five years old. It's going to kill her, having no one home during the day. She is going to have to do something. I know I am not an adult, but going to Hogwarts is so ... so ... I'm free! Well, not completely. My brothers are here. They are just an owl away from Mum, and I know Percy will keep her informed."

Harry saw Hagrid out tending his garden. The hoe looked like a toy in his hands. "Hi Harry," he shouted. "I am makin' sure these punkins 'ill be ready in tha fall. Who is tha' wit' ya?"

"This is Ginny Weasley. She wants to see all of Hogwarts. I am going to show her the squid," said Harry. The squid wasn't where Harry usually found him, but he continued the tour. When they went in for lunch, Ginny spotted Luna, and the three ate together. Ginny and Luna went off together. Harry went back out on the grounds, and slipped into the woods. It wasn't long before he was running with the unicorns.

Harry met Ginny in the common room after supper, and asked her to go to the water closet in the girls' loo, close the door behind her, and transform. He would meet her there after curfew. The cats met behind the girls loo, and Ginny followed Harry through the catacombs of pipes and access ducts. They went down to a boys loo at the base of Gryffindor tower, where they entered the hallways. They were having great fun together running the hallways and stairs when they heard voices. "This way Gred. They're down this hallway." Harry and Ginny took off down the hallway, down one stair, and hid in an alcove behind a suit of armor. Three or four minutes later, they heard another whisper. "Forge, over there behind that armor."

Harry and Ginny were stunned. Ginny knew it was the twins. They had trapped themselves in a dead end.

"Lumos. Gred, what do we have here? Ickle little kitty cats."

"Right you are, Forge. You two. Follow us."

The two dutifully followed the twins until they came to a tapestry. Fred held the tapestry away from the wall, and said, "Welcome to our office." George said a couple words, and the four entered a room behind the tapestry. Fred lit a lamp, and sat on an old love seat.

"Harry, my boy. Gred and I noticed your travels last year, all over the castle. We were amazed at the places a firstie could get to. You were all over the place. We didn't want to bother you, of course. Everyone is entitled to their privacy. We are busy blokes ourselves, you know."

"Imagine my surprise today when Forge told me you were already on the move, and you were not alone. Little Gin-gin was with you." The tiger cat hissed.

"Now, now, little kitty. None of that. I think some explanations are in order."

Ginny transformed, quickly followed by Harry. "You two better not give me any grief. How did you know where we were."

"Trade secret, Gin-Gin. Suppose you tell us how long you have been an animagus. When you are finished, maybe Green Eyes there can have a turn to speak," said Fred.

"I've been working on it a couple years. I made it last Christmas. You leave Harry alone."

Harry spoke up. "That's OK, Ginny. Someone was bound to find out sooner, or later. Fred, George, you guys can make things really hard for me. What are you going to do?"

George spoke up. "Seriously Harry, we have no reason to tell anyone. We do think a bloke is entitled to a bit of privacy. We like a prank now and then, but hasseling a free spirit like you isn't funny. You do have to be careful around Snape and Dumbledore. We think they can read minds."

"Dumbledore knows," said Harry. "I am not sure about Snape. He hasn't shown any indication he knows, but he is always on about something or another."

"Yeah," said Fred. "He is always on a Gryff's arse, greasy git. Harry, do you think you can help us make the transformation?"

"Maybe. We can show you what we have done," said Harry. He told them about the book, the exercises, and a brief summary of what McGonagall had told him. The twins asked questions. About an hour later, the conversation drifted.

"Harry, can you help us out with a prank, or two? That ability of yours has to be put to use," said George.

"No, I told Xavier I would not draw attention to myself. You guys can have all of the attention. I might be able to help you transform, but I won't be pulling any pranks," stated Harry.

"What about you, Ginny?" asked Fred.

"Count me out too. I'm with Harry on that," said Ginny.

"About that, Ginny. How close are you and Harry? You have obviously known each other a long time," asked Fred.

"I've known Harry, one way or the other, since I started going over to the Figgs' for lessons. He is my best friend in the world," said Ginny. "We better get to bed, I want to get up early in the morning."

"Will you show us your transformation again, Ginny, before you go? asked George.

Ginny transformed into the six stone version, and yawned.

"Bloody hell!" said the twins together. Ginny shrank on down, and Harry transformed. They followed the twins back out of the tapestry, and took off, disappearing into the shadows. "Wow!" said George. "Yeah, wow." answered Fred.

The next morning Ginny took off with Luna. Harry went down to see what Hagrid was doing. Sirius was there with him.

"Hi Sirius," said Harry. "What are you doing here?"

"The Ministry gave me some money for wrongful imprisonment. I have taken a room at the Hogshead Inn in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore is letting me come to the school as an auxiliary grounds keeper, for as long as it works out. Hagrid is going to teach me how to work the farms. This place is nearly self-sufficient. I don't want to work for the ministry as an auror now. Maybe not ever again. I don't need to work, since I am the Head of House Black. Mum would probably roll over in her grave if she knew, but I am the last male in the family. She burned me off the Family Tapestry, but didn't legally disinherit me before she died. Her death was a bit sudden. Most wizards do not die of a heart attack, but she had a habit of avoiding healers. I understand you work with Hagrid quite a bit."

"Yeah, I do," said Harry. "I didn't think I would see much of you, since I spend so much time at school. Are you going to be here long?"

"Harry, I told you I would be available for you, any time, and any place. How am I supposed to do that way down in England?" explained Sirius. "Besides, some of the best times of my life were spent here at Hogwarts. Dumbledore is paying me enough to cover the room at the Hogshead. This is great." They went on down to the farrowing houses where the pigs were born. Some sows were scheduled to litter in a few days, and Hagrid had to make sure the crates and pens were ready. Sirius would learn quickly. Hogwarts was a busier place than most people knew.

Professor McGonagall passed out the class schedules at breakfast Monday morning. The second year's first class was with Professor Sprout at the green houses. She had the class repotting Mandrakes, which were used medically as restoratives and antidotes. They had to use earmuffs, since the cry of young Mandrakes would knock out the students. Fully grown Mandrakes could cause death with their screeching. They were one of the most creepy of magical plants.

Charms class was uneventful. Magical education continued to be about fifty percent theory, forty percent essay, and ten percent practical. Lunch came with a couple problems for Harry. A young muggle-born, Colin Creevey, was a camera enthusiast. He walked up to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Harry?" asked Creevey. "I'm in Gryffindor, too. Can I take your picture?

"Picture?" said Harry.

"So I can prove I have met you," said Creevey. "It would be really good if I had one with you standing beside me. Someone else could take the picture, and then, could you sign it?"

Draco Malfoy spoke in a loud voice. "Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos?"

"Harry, my boy ... ," started Lockhart. Lockhart came up behind Harry, and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry had known he was there, but he didn't expect Lockhart to TOUCH him. Harry took a full dose of obnoxious, overbearing boor. Without even thinking, Harry squeezed Lockhart's fingers as he wrenched the offending hand off of his shoulder, and stepped away. "DETENTION!" yelled Lockhart, as he held his broken fingers. Grimacing, Gilderoy headed toward the infirmary.

"Harry!" shouted Hermione.

"He surprised me," said Harry, walking away. Harry needed to run off some excess energy.

Malfoy's eyes widened. He could tell Potter had not intended to break Lockhart's fingers. Potter had made it look ... easy. Too easy. Potter could hurt someone ... badly. Draco decided that someone should not be him. It might be interesting to watch, though.

Harry's afternoon class was DADA. Lockhart's smiling face was sitting behind the desk, acting as if his fingers hadn't just been mended. "Harry," he said. "Meet me in my office at 7:00 tonight for your detention. You need some training on how to be a successful celebrity." A few minutes later, he called the class to attention. He passed around some quizzes with questions one might know if they had read Gilderoy's books. The questions were all drivel, like what is Gilderoy Lockharts favorite color? When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday?

Harry was not impressed with Lockhart's material, but many of the student's were acting like Lockhart was a war hero, and would transfer knowledge and ability to them somehow. Surprisingly, Hermione was most impressed. It was almost funny to watch her bask in the accolades Lockhart gave her for getting full marks on the quiz he handed out. Then, the comedy got even better. He brought out a cage full of Cornish pixies, eight inches tall and neon blue, moving around in the cage like a bunch of bees. Lockhart made a little speech about pixies being devilishly tricky, and turned the lot loose. The pixies proceeded to wreck the classroom. Two of the little creatures picked Neville up off the ground. They shredded books, turned over bookcases and desks. They grabbed Lockhart's wand, and threw it out of the window while Gilderoy ran from the room. Most of the rest of the students followed. Harry chuckled for a few seconds, and sending out a kneazle emotion pulse that only the pixies in the room felt, yelled out, "Hey! Come on guys, back in the cage. I'll take you down to see Hagrid." One by one, the pixies filed back into the cage, and looked up at Harry expectantly. Harry shouldered the cage, and off they went, Hermione and Ron followed quietly. This would be a new page in Hermione's "Harry" book.

"Hagrid!" Harry called out. "I have some more help for you in the garden." He turned the pixies loose, and the pixies disappeared into the garden. Pixies ate insects, and they could eat half their weight every day. As long as a gardener didn't irritate the little creatures, they were very helpful. Pixies were just one of the many things Hagrid taught Harry.

Harry walked over to Hagrid and Sirius, who were working on a fence. "Sirius," said Harry. "I want you to meet a couple friends of mine. This is Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Ron had the RAT." Sirius nodded, and Harry continued. "Sirius is my godfather. He went to Hogwarts with my parents." Harry then explained he had obtained the pixies from Lockhart's class, and a general discussion followed concerning the aptitude and ability of the new DADA professor. Hermione was still firmly attached to the idea of Lockhart's infallibility. Ron thought Lockhart was clueless. They had a good visit, and walked up to the castle for supper.

The time for detention came quickly, and Harry walked to Lockhart's office. The door was open, so he knocked on the door molding. "Harry. Good. Come in," said Lockhart. "I realize I startled you earlier. I want to take this time to discuss your future as a celebrity. As "The Boy Who Lived", you have a bright future in our world. I want to get you started off right. Maybe we can make the front page a few times this year." Harry wasn't saying anything. "Every celebrity has a fan club, and your fans are very important to your career," continued Gilderoy. "I want you to sort these letters of mine, sign a photo of me 'Yours truly, Gilderoy Lockhart', and address a letter to the witch or wizard that sent the fan mail." Lockhart droned on and on, and Harry signed and signed. Finally, the two hours were finished, and Harry fled. He was determined to avoid Lockhart in the future, and he was successful, for the most part.

The students settled into an easy routine. Ginny and Luna formed a study group with several other first years that usually met in the library or an abandoned classroom. Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione maintained their loose group with others as necessary. Neither Harry or Ginny required much sleep, so they were deep in the castle for a while nearly every night. Weekends found Harry and Ginny many times with Hagrid and Sirius working with animals: sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, horses, beef cattle, dairy cattle, ducks, turkeys, rabbits ... the list was extensive. Several house elves were active in the operation, as well as the occasional part timer from Hogsmeade. Hogwarts had several fields of hay, wheat, corn, oats, and barley. There were several gardens, orchards, vineyards, and bee hives. Most students were not interested in the day to day operations of the grounds keeper, and that was quite OK with Harry and Ginny. Ginny had experience from home, since her mother had a large garden and chickens. Harry just liked being outside. Harry's owl Hedwig wasn't delivering much mail anymore, since Ginny was at school. The owl followed Harry around outside, many times riding on Harry's or Ginny's shoulder. Harry spent more time outside than Ginny did.

One night Harry heard Kob working on pipes. Harry and Ginny were doing OK talking in cat form, if they kept it simple. "Ginny," Harry said, "this way." Harry found Kob in a major intersection. "Ginny, change," said Harry. He transformed into his smaller human form, while Ginny took her normal size.

She had enough room, but not much extra. "Harry, how long have you been doing that?" she asked. "Now I have something else to work on."

"I did it a few times last year. I have only done it while talking to Kob, so far. Kob, this is Ginny," said Harry.

"I is happy to meet you, Miss Ginny," said Kob. "You is the second person I know of that has been down here. Both of you need to be careful this year. We elves have heard of a threat at the castle."

This was the second elf that had said this to Harry. "Kob, do you know an elf named Dobby?" asked Harry.

"Yes, I have heard of him. He told the Elders of the threat. He is a bit ... off. He has been beaten too many times," said Kob. "Some elves are treated badly."

"Can't elves defend themselves?" asked Ginny.

"Yes, but not against the masters of the house we work at. It is complicated," said Kob. "The magic that binds us to the house is powerful. We gain a lot, being bound to the house, but there can be problems with bad masters. Few wizards remember the stories of the old days. We are happy here."

"We can't stay. Breakfast starts in a little while. Bye, Kob," said Harry.

"Bye," said Ginny.

"I'll be here," said Kob, smiling, as they turned into cats, and left.

As usual, time flew, and September evaporated. Harry took Ginny deeper into the Forest on the last Sunday in September. He wanted to show her the unicorn herd, and people had become used to Ginny spending a lot of time out on the grounds on weekends. It was taking a long time to find the herd, and they were running out of time. Ginny couldn't move as fast as Harry could, as a human or a cat. Ginny had a brilliant idea. "Harry," she said. "Do you think I could ride you if you were a large kneazle, say about three and a half feet at the shoulder?"

"It would be easy to carry you," replied Harry. "I haven't tried to get that large, but I think I can do it. I spend most of my transformation effort on wings." A short time later, the largest kneazle in the world was standing in the shade of a large tree. Ginny got on his back, and Harry tried walking. Ginny had her fingers imbedded in Harry's fur, but she was having a bit of trouble. She couldn't stay in one spot because Harry's skin was too loose. When Harry started to run, she promptly fell off.

"Bloody hell, Harry. I was really looking forward to taking a ride," exclaimed Ginny. "I can't bloody well stay on." Tears of frustration were starting to form.

It was Harry's turn for a solution. "I can't grow wings yet," Harry said, "but I can start the structure. If you can put your calves in front of my wings, you can hook your knees over the joints. It will almost make a saddle for you." They tried it, and it worked. Green Eyes took off, with Ginny's red hair streaming in the wind. It was all Ginny could do to keep from shouting with joy. This was better than a broom. It didn't take her too long to get in rhythm with Harry's strides. They ate up distance quickly. They didn't find the herd, because they ran out of time. It didn't bother them at all. Harry could sense her happiness, and he was happy.

Ginny wasn't too happy in the morning, though. She could barely walk. She had used muscles riding the big cat that she hadn't really used before, at least not like that. She was SORE. She was able to get a potion from Madam Pomfrey to alleviate most of the symptoms. The Matron never asked too many questions of her patients. If she did, it is likely they would wait too long before seeking her out. Even with the muscle pain, Ginny had a hint of a smile on her face. She was looking forward to her next ride in the Forest. The next Sunday afternoon, they were running with the herd, and enjoying every minute of it.

Harry and Ginny met with the twins every week, once or twice, to discuss the animagus transformation. They were dedicated to the idea, but they didn't have Harry's ability. Ginny had an advantage, in that she had spent so much time with Harry, that she had a head start. She had a LOT of desire to make the transformation. It still took quite a bit of effort on her part. To make matters worse, the twins had mixed emotions about the animal they wanted to change into. They wanted an animal that they could prank with. For example, raccoons could climb, and work their way through small passages. They nearly had hands for front paws. Ferrets and weasels were even smaller. Spider monkeys had great mobility, with four hands and a prehensile tail. Indecision cost them time. The twins were fun to spend time with, but they would never be spending time with the grounds keepers. Harry and Ginny were 'off the prank list' indefinitely.

October just seemed to evaporate. Luna asked Harry if he would come to Nearly Headless Nick's 500th death day party. Next Saturday was Halloween, and it was the anniversary of Nick's execution. Luna Lovegood had an affinity with the ghosts. She and Ginny visited all of them, from time to time. The Fat Friar was Hufflepuff's resident ghost, and as cheerful a person ... er, entity as one would ever want to meet. Nick was the ghost for Gryffindor, also a pleasant sort. The Bloody Baron was the Slytherin Ghost, and not very friendly at all. When Luna would pass him in the hall, all she could get out of him is a nod of his head. The Grey Lady of Ravenclaw was the first ghost in the castle that Luna had spoken with, and the Lady was always available to discuss homework, not that she would do the work for a student. Moaning Myrtle had been a student when she was murdered, and she was terribly self-absorbed. Harry said he would come to the party. Harry asked Ron and Hermione if they were interested in going. Hermione was interested in practically everything, so she said she would. Ron would come, if it didn't interfere with lunch or supper. The party was 2:00 in the afternoon, so they all went.

Down in the dungeons, a large room held a cake in the shape of a tombstone. On it were the words: Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, died 31st October 1492. Ghosts from all over Britain had arrived. It seems that ghosts can aggravate each other for a very long time. Some headless ghosts riding ghostly horses arrived during Nick's birthday speech, and started playing hockey with someone's head. A Sir Patrick gave Nick a bunch of static about not being able to ride in the headless hunt, since the axe that had beheaded Nick was so dull, it didn't finish the job 'properly'. The horsemen ruined the gathering, and "the live ones" left to get ready for the Halloween Feast. On the way upstairs, Harry heard a voice. "_Come ... come to me ... Let me rip you ... Let me kill you ... Rip ... tear ... kill ... soo hungry .... for so long ... kill ... time to kill."_ Harry heard it moving through the walls that he so commonly explored. He kept this information to himself, but he would be investigating tonight after the feast.

Everyone went to the feast. Hagrid's pumpkins were enormous. The Great Hall was decorated in all sorts of Halloween motifs. Harry couldn't get his mind off of the voice, so he left the feast early. It didn't take him long to find a loo, make the change, and enter the ducts in the walls. He went lower than he normally did, until he thought he was in the general area that he had heard the voice. He couldn't find anything. The whole area was dank and musty, but he thought he could smell snake. How odd. He hadn't smelled snake anywhere in the walls before. He came back out of the loo he had entered. There was a crowd gathered. He slowly moved forward, and could hear the professors talking.

Professor McGonagall was talking. "What does this writing on the wall mean?" She pointed at the wall. On the wall, written in blood was a message:

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE.

Professor Flitwick asked, "How did Mr. Filch's cat get petrified? What could possibly do that?"

November brought a lot of discussion on the 'Chamber of Secrets'. Students pestered Professor Binns until he told them of the legend. The legend stated that the Founders had a major disagreement over whether muggle-born students should be allowed at Hogwarts. Salazar Slytherin wanted them banned, while the other three had no trouble enrolling muggle-borns. Slytherin reportedly built a chamber that only his heir could open, to unleash the horror within, in order to purge the school of all students who were unworthy to attend. Binns said the whole legend was utter nonsense.

November also brought the last of the decent flying weather, and the second Gryffindor quidditch game of the season. Harry was flying seeker, as usual. The opposing team was Slytherin, with Draco Malfoy flying seeker for them. Fred and George Weasley were in perfect form, hitting bludgers deftly with great accuracy at the Slytherin chasers and seeker. George would set up a bludger to Fred, who then in turn, smacked it toward the intended target. George yelled out, "What the bloody hell is wrong with that bludger!" He had hit it, and instead of traveling to Fred, the bludger zoomed toward Harry. "Someone tampered with that bludger!".

The game stopped, and Madam Hooch inspected the bludger. She found nothing wrong, so the game continued. Harry was able to evade the rogue bludger well enough, but it wouldn't leave him alone. Harry spotted the snitch and easily beat Malfoy for the catch. When the snitch was caught, the bludgers normally returned to their container. The twins relaxed, and Harry flew toward Madam Hooch. The bludger slammed into his arm, breaking it cleanly. George yelled, "Stop that bloody bludger!", but it didn't matter. The bludger returned to the box, as it was supposed to, as Harry dropped to the ground.

The professors ran over to help Harry. Lockhart noticed Harry's broken arm, and said he could fix it. Oh, he fixed it, he removed both bones in the lower arm. "Ah, well, that can happen sometimes," he said.

Harry was taken to the hospital wing, where a furious Madam Pomfrey fussed over him. "I can fix a broken arm quickly, but now those bones will need to be regrown. You will be here overnight, Mr. Potter," she said. Ginny was furious. The matron gave Harry a dose of skelegrow, and he laid back against the double pillows stacked against the headboard. Later that night, a familiar elf popped into the ward. Harry was still awake, and very bored.

"Dobby, what are you doing here?" asked Harry.

"Harry Potter must go home. Dobby thought his bludger ..."

"Your bludger," hissed Harry. "You made that bludger try to kill me?"

"No sir. Never kill you sir. Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home," said Dobby. "Harry Potter is too important. We house elves were treated like vermin, until He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was stopped by Harry Potter. Dobby is still treated like that, sir. Dobby can not let Harry Potter stay here, now that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again."

"What is the danger, Dobby?" asked Harry. "What do you mean, the Chamber is open again."

"Dobby can't say anymore. Go home, Harry Potter, go home." Dobby disappeared.

Later that night, Colin Creevey was brought in to the hospital wing, petrified. The professors were worried. Madam Pomfrey came in early in the morning, checked Harry over, and released him. Harry wasted no time leaving.

Harry heard the voice a few more times in early December, but he could never get to the duct work fast enough to find out who was talking, or rather what. He found out what was talking, the second week of December. A notice was posted announcing the start of a dueling club that night in the Great Hall. Professor Lockhart was hosting it, assisted by Professor Snape.

Harry arrived in the Great Hall a little before the professors showed up. The tables had been moved to the side, and a long platform was sitting in front of the head table. Lockhart said they would start by teaching the disarming spell, expelliarmus. He and Professor Snape would demonstrate. Snape did that, very well. His scarlet disarming spell blasted Lockhart across the hall, and relieved him of his wand.

Lockhart staggered for a few steps, as he returned to the platform. "Enough demonstration," he stated. "Now Professor Snape will put you all in pairs."

"Very well," stated Snape. "Miss Granger and Miss Bullstrode. Front and center. Take your places at opposite ends of the dueling platform. The incantation is expelliarmus. The shield, " he sneered as he looked at Lockhart, "is protego."

The two girls started firing back and forth. Millicent fired spells faster than Hermione. Hermione had the habit of watching her spell until it hit. Bullstrode wore down her shield, and disarmed Granger.

"Next," cried Snape. "Nott and Weasley"

Theodore and Ron squared off. Ron was so determined to win that he forgot to recharge his shield, and was disarmed quickly.

"Malfoy and ... Potter," sneered Snape.

Draco and Harry took their places. Malfoy started firing expelliarmus, and Harry stepped aside. First one way, then the other. "Fight Potter!" yelled Draco. Malfoy must have fired 20 times, and was starting to lose his composure. Snape called a halt and walked over to the young Slytherin. He whispered something in Draco's ear. "Begin"

"Serpentsortia!" yelled Draco. "Dodge that!" A large snake, at least eight feet long was on the platform.

Harry heard the snake. "_Attack. Bite. Protect the nest. Attack_"

"I said disarm and shield only!" yelled Lockhart. "I'll get rid of it." He waved his wand, and it flew in the air toward the waiting students. It hit the floor, and it was agitated.

"_Stop_," hissed Harry, walking toward the snake. "_Leave them alone_!" The snake started to return to the platform. Snape waved his wand, and it disappeared. Snape gave him a long look.

"What are you!" cried Justin Finch-Finley. "What are you playing at?"

Harry just gave him a dumb look, as if to say "What?". Ginny walked over, and grabbed his arm. "Come on," she said. "Lets get out of here. This isn't compulsory." Harry followed her out.

"I didn't know you could speak the language of snakes. How long have you been able to do that?" she asked. "It is called parseltongue, and is associated with the House of Slytherin."

"I didn't know either," said Harry. "This isn't good, with the petrifaction problem associated with the Chamber of Secrets and the Heir of Slytherin. All I said is 'leave them alone'."

"All we heard is hissing, Harry," said Ginny. "If you hadn't been in the hospital wing when Colin was attacked, they would probably be escorting you to the headmasters office now. In fact, you probably better go see him anyway."

"Would you come with me?" asked Harry.

"Of course," said Ginny. They walked straight to the gargoyles protecting the Headmaster's office.

"We need to see the Headmaster," stated Ginny. After a few moments, the gargoyles slid aside to permit access to the escalating spiral staircase. The door opened of its own accord.

"Please come in, Miss Weasley," said Dumbledore. "How may I help you?" Dumbledore wasn't surprised to see them together, since he knew how much time they spent with Hagrid and Sirius. He was very happy with the company Harry kept. They explained everything to him.

"Harry," started Dumbledore. "Parseltongue is associated with the House of Slytherin, but I happen to know the talent has been seen in other Houses. In of itself, it means nothing. You have the ability to talk to snakes. I understand how this is going to be viewed by the student body. Would you like to go home early? Your grades are most satisfactory."

"No Headmaster," said Harry. "I prefer to leave next week on the train. Thanks for seeing us. Should I do anything else after I inform Xavier?"

Harry wrote a note, and sent it off with Hedwig. The next week was a very long week indeed. Harry was shunned by most like he had leprosy. That was OK, they had little or no impact on his life, anyway. He was heavy in thought. 'There is a snake in the walls,' he told himself. 'I have been listening to a snake. I will have to find it.' He looked for the next week, but he had no success. As usual, the exams were easy for him. The students boarded the train, and headed for Kings Cross. Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Ron, and Luna found a large compartment, and spent the ride in quiet conversation.

As usual, Xavier was waiting for the students of House Figg. When the students got back to the Figg compound it was late. Harry transformed, and went to visit his parents and siblings. It was always good to be home. Early in the morning, Harry made his way back to the house. Just as he got to the back porch, he felt a spell hit him. It was the first time his core had felt this spell. He heard a noise to his right, and turned. There was Dobby. "Dobby did it right, this time, Dobby did. Harry Potter, stay home." Dobby disappeared.

Harry couldn't transform to human. He was stuck as a kneazle.


	10. Chapter 10 The Unhappy Holidays

Chapter 10 The Unhappy Holidays

Harry was waiting to meet with Xavier, and he was angry. The elf had attacked him twice. The first time was bad enough, sitting in the hospital wing with no bones in his arm, listening to an earnest elf telling him he had charmed a bludger to injure him enough to ensure he had to go home. The elf said he meant him no permanent harm, but Harry didn't know how much control the elf had over that bludger. The second time, the elf had again caught him unaware again. Harry needed to do two things. He had to regain the ability to transform, and he needed to stop that elf. Dobby was now an enemy. Harry knew what the older kneazles did, with an enemy.

Dobby was a threat Harry didn't know how to deal with. Dobby was much more magically capable than Harry, and could attack Harry at will. He had no idea where Dobby lived, and he doubted he could get close enough to physically attack him. Harry's discussion with Xavier about Quirrell had made him rethink his decision to attack a magically powerful person. Harry had caught Quirrell unaware, and killed him easily. Dobby apparently wasn't trying to kill Harry, but Dobby had done the same thing to him that Harry had done with Quirrell. He had made very successful surprise attacks, and Harry had no idea how to prevent them. Harry had found out just how vulnerable to magical attack he was. He could be attacked at Hogwarts and at home, just as easily as Harry could catch a rabbit.

Harry saw Xavier going toward his study, and caught his attention. "I wanted to talk to you this morning," said Xavier. "Follow me."

Harry followed him into the study, and jumped up on a chair. "Harry," Xavier laughed. "I am going to need your human version."

Harry made a low rumble that could only be interpreted as frustration. "What is the matter Harry?" asked Xavier. "Can't you make the change?" Harry shook his head 'No'.

"I see," said Xavier. "Any idea why?" Harry jumped down, and Xavier followed Harry to his room. When Harry stopped outside, Xavier opened the door. Harry went to his drawing material, and picked up a piece of charcoal in his teeth. He went to the drawing pad, and managed to write a legible large word, 'ELF'.

"That elf Dobby did this?" asked Xavier. Harry nodded 'yes'. Xavier did a few tests with his wand. He tried to force the human transformation, without success.

"He has bound you to your kneazle form!" exclaimed Xavier. Harry nodded 'yes'.

Xavier called his senior elf. "Lanta"

"Yes, sir," replied the elf.

"Harry can't make his transformation. He said an elf attacked him. What can you tell me about this binding?" asked Xavier.

The old elf looked at Harry for a while. "Sir, I can see the binding, but I don't know how to remove it."

"Thank you," said Xavier. "If you think of anything, let me know."

"Harry, Dumbledore is a transfiguration master, and he knows about your animagus ability. Should I contact him?" asked Xavier. Harry thought about it for a while, and nodded 'yes'. Harry needed to fix this problem. Xavier had the elves install magical 'cat flaps' in the back door and in Harry's room door for the winter.

Harry went over to Ginny's, climbed the tree, and got her attention. She opened the window, and let him in. "Hi Harry," she said. "Enjoying your holiday?"

"No, elf attack. Can't change," said Harry.

"What are you going to do?" asked Ginny. "How long will it last?"

"Don't know," said Harry. "Professor help."

"Dumbledore?" asked Ginny.

Harry nodded his head. "Tomorrow." Harry just curled up beside her.

Harry spent the night with the kneazles that were not on patrol. Harry thought events were not too bad. The worse thing that could happen was that he was stuck as a kneazle for a while. He was comfortable as a kneazle. He discovered that he could work on his wing structure, and he could change size as a kneazle. He could not make any changes remotely associated with being human. He couldn't even change a paw into a hand.

Dumbledore arrived at 9:00 a.m. at the apparation point at the front door, and the wards announced his arrival. Xavier led Albus to his study, where Harry was waiting by the fireplace.

"Harry, my boy," said Dumbledore, "Xavier tells me a house elf has bound you to your kneazle form. Do you mind if I perform a few tests, to see what I might be able to do?"

Harry nodded, 'No', and walked nearer to the professor. Dumbledore made test after test, all the while making little 'Hmmm' and 'Ah' noises. Finally, he walked over to the tea service, and sat down.

"There seems to be nothing I can do," he said. "I have never seen anything quite like it. House elf magic has never been categorized, to my knowledge. Their magic is similar in many ways to that used by wizards, but there are just as many differences as there are similarities. Elves can apparate through wards, even the prodigious wards of Hogwarts. I suppose the reason elven magic hasn't been studied is two-fold. One, humans can not use magic the way elves do. Two, elves are not a threat. I can not think of a single reported incident of house elf magic used in a hostile manner, other than in defense of their household."

Xavier spoke up. "Albus, is there any thing I can do to ward my property against this Dobby? The elves here knew he arrived, but they didn't consider him a threat. It isn't uncommon for elves to deliver packages and messages. They also visit other elves, from time to time. He was here, and gone in less than half a minute."

"Nothing that I know of," said Dumbledore, "Other than instructing the elves that live here that Dobby is a threat, and should be treated accordingly."

"Oh, believe me, we have discussed that," said Xavier. "Dobby will met soon after arrival next time he comes here, if there is a next time. The elves here are most embarrassed by what has happened."

"Harry," said Albus, "I would like to study this problem further. Would you come with me to Hogwarts? I can make your stay there quite comfortable." Harry nodded 'Yes'. He had to get this problem resolved. "Well then," Albus continued, "Lets be off. If we are lucky, we can have you back in time for the season's festivities. Please place your paw on this portkey, which will take us directly to my office." The portkey activated.

Dumbledore took a seat by the window, and motioned for Harry to take a seat. "As you know, Harry," began Dumbledore, "there are a few students here spending the holidays. Not everyone can return home. I will set you up a guest room on the first floor, not too far from the Great Hall. Food will be in your room for you at meal times. I am sure you are aware of the arrangements for pet cats to enter and leave the castle. If you want to go out on the grounds, I see no problem with that. I will visit you in your room every morning at 9:00 a.m., and at other arranged times. If I need you earlier, I will send an elf for you. Are these arrangements satisfactory?" Harry nodded, 'Yes.'

Dumbledore called one of the senior castle elves. "Nelly," he said.

"Yes, sir," replied the elf.

"Please set up one of the first floor guest rooms for my friend here," he said, motioning to the kneazle. "He will need appropriate food at meal times"

"Yes sir. Sir, may Nelly ask what has happened?" asked Nelly.

"Yes, you may," replied Dumbledore.

"Sir, Nelly can tell this in not an ordinary kneazle. He appears to be an animagus transformation," said Nelly.

"Yes, that is true. Nelly, he has been bound by another elf, so that he is restricted to this form. Do you know of a way to remove the binding?" asked Albus.

"Sir! An elf has bound a wizard against his will!" squeaked the elf.

"Yes, that seems to be the case," replied Dumbledore.

"Nelly doesn't know about such things, but Nelly will ask a few questions, with Sir's permission," said Nelly.

"Yes, of coarse," said Albus. "Please escort my friend here to his room. He might want to rest some, as his day has not developed as he would wish."

Harry followed the elf down to his assigned room, but he didn't stay long. He went out on the grounds. Paths had been made through the snow to the most traveled locations. The snow wasn't too deep, and a crust had formed on top of the snow. He was able to walk on top of it without breaking the crust, as long as he didn't make a quick movement. Harry found Hagrid and Sirius in the sheep pens. Scottish winters could be hard on livestock. Only breeding stock was kept through the winter. Some of the stock was moved south for the winter. He wanted to say hello, but of coarse, he could not. Sirius knew about him, but Hagrid did not. Harry would wait until Sirius was alone, not that two-way conversation was possible. A kneazle's vocal cords could mimic a few words, but vocabulary was limited. Harry didn't intend to hold any long discussions.

While Harry was out on the grounds, Dumbledore located Professor McGonagall. She was an expert on the animagus transformation. Albus was an owl animagus. He was a Master of Transfiguration, he just hadn't delved as deeply into the procedure as Minerva had. Strangely enough, his specialty was battle magic, which is the main reason he had defeated Grindewald, and Voldemort reportedly feared him.

"Minerva," began Dumbledore, "it has come to my attention that an animagus has been trapped in his form by a house elf. Have you ever heard of this happening?"

"Good heavens no," replied McGonagall. "I have heard of people being trapped because of unsupervised practice in the initial transformation, but I have never heard of an elf forcing a person to stay in form. It has been done by wizards to other wizards, for a host of reasons usually involving revenge or manipulation, but the reversal of those forced transformations is well documented. I know you are aware of them."

"Yes, I am," said Albus. "This binding is beyond me. I have not seen anything like it in my tenure as a Transfiguration Master."

"Will I get to examine this individual?" asked McGonagall.

"I am not sure yet. This individual is unregistered, for very good reasons. I am not at liberty to divulge his identity," said Albus. "The situation is most complicated."

"I see," said Minerva. "If there is any way I can be of assistance, let me know. I am always interested in the animagus transformation. I was appalled when we found Pettigrew on the castle grounds. A criminal hiding among children. I hope he rots in Azkaban."

Sirius and Hagrid were done by 5:00, and Sirius was off work the rest of the day. He didn't really have set hours, since a working castle has many needs. Harry followed him toward Hogsmeade, then got his attention by leaping in front of him.

"Hey kitty," said Sirius. "What are you doing way out here. You should be in a nice warm barn somewhere reducing our rodent population."

Harry took a paw, and wrote 'HI' in the snow. Sirius looked closer, and said, "Harry! What are you doing here? I wasn't paying attention. Aren't you home for the holiday?" Harry wrote, 'Stuck,' in the snow. He then walked down the path a few steps, and looked back. "You want me to follow? asked Sirius. Harry nodded 'Yes'. Harry led Sirius back to his guest room in the castle.

Harry trusted Xavier Figg, Albus Dumbledore, and Sirius Black, the ones on the short list of people who officially knew his history. He wanted all three of them involved in resolving his problem. Fred and George knew a little, but he didn't think they were likely to be any help. Harry still felt vulnerable following Dobby's two attacks. He wanted to get the binding off, and start learning some way of reducing his susceptibility to magical attack. What better way to start, than his Headmaster , and Godfather, ex-auror.

Shortly after Harry brought Sirius to his room, Albus knocked on the door and entered.

"Sirius, how good to see you with Harry," said Dumbledore.

"Headmaster, what has happened to him?" asked Sirius.

"Please," replied Dumbledore, "call me Albus when I am not acting in an official capacity. You are here as a concerned guardian, since you are his godfather. Harry has been bound into his kneazle form by a house elf named Dobby. I am researching methods to overcome this binding. I would like to ask Professor McGonagall to join us in looking for a solution to this problem. She is both, a Transfiguration Master and an expert on the animagus transformation. Harry, what do you think?"

Harry nodded his head 'Yes.' He wanted to ask her more questions anyway.

"Nelly," stated Dumbledore.

"Yes Sir," replied the elf after popping in.

"Could you ask Professor McGonagall if she has time to meet with us here, and let me know her answer?" asked Albus.

"Yes Sir, right away Sir," said the elf, and she was gone. A few minutes later, she returned, and stated the Professor would be there shortly.

There was a knock on the door, and Albus opened the door for Minerva McGonagall.

"Professor," began Albus, "you remember Sirius Black." She nodded. "This kneazle is an animagus who is bound to that form. I have suggested to him that you might able to help remove the binding."

"I will see what I can do," said McGonagall. She walked over, and made a few tests with her wand. She looked closely at the kneazle. She was indeed an animagus expert. She noticed the green eyes and the slightly darker lightening bolt above the right eye. "Mr. Potter?" she asked. Harry nodded 'Yes'. "I have never heard of one so young," she said.

"You don't know the half of it," said Sirius. "Is there anything you can do?"

"You, the Headmaster, and I should perform the standard auror reversal charm at the same time. That may have enough power to overcome the binding. Ready Mr. Potter? On three. One. Two. Three." They cast the spell, and it had no effect what so ever. "I shall research some of my older reference materials. Maybe I will find something there. I have one in mind right now. Good day, gentlemen," she said.

"Albus," began Sirius, "would it be OK if I stay here with Harry for a few days? Hopefully it won't take too long to fix this mess."

"Yes, that will be fine," said Dumbledore. "You are, after all, an employee of Hogwarts. I realize there isn't much in the way of adult entertainment here, and I thought you preferred living in Hogsmeade."

"Actually, I do prefer the Hogshead," said Sirius grinning. "I am not exactly a scholar. I'm not dating anyone yet, but I am not likely to find anyone here."

"Well, I will leave you two to your own devices," said Dumbledore, as he walked out the door. Actually, he couldn't be more pleased with the way things turned out. Albus was hoping Harry would spend more time with his godfather. It didn't hurt at all that he was an ex-auror. He hadn't forgotten the incidents with the mirror and Quirrell, and it laid heavy on him. He couldn't see an easy way to socialize Harry. As far as Albus was concerned, Harry was too comfortable returning to the kneazles at the Figg's. Thank goodness for the Weasley girl.

One sided conversations tend to get pretty boring, so it wasn't long until Sirius changed into his dog form. The confines of the room were no place for the pair of them to be, so they went out onto the grounds. The animal flaps in the doors were just large enough for Padfoot to make it through. They went running all over the grounds, and didn't come in until they were ready to rest for the night.

Sirius worked until noon the next day. Albus and Minerva had not discovered anything new yet, and Albus's 9:00 meeting was uneventful. After lunch, Harry and Padfoot went about five miles into the forest. They were having a good time, until they came too close to a wolf pack's den for pack to be comfortable with it. Wolves can be rather territorial, and Padfoot was 'persona non grata'. Harry had been there many times, but the cat didn't get the rise out of the wolves that the dog did. Harry knew they were there, he didn't expect trouble. The wolves were upon Padfoot before Padfoot realized he had a problem. Padfoot didn't have time to transform, and get his wand. Harry solved the problem by an age old solution in the animal kingdom ... intimidation. He made his form a bit larger than the one Ginny rode, got in front of Padfoot, hunched up his back and made a noise that wasn't really a roar, and wasn't a screech either. It was rather loud, though. The unnerved wolves backed off, and Padfoot sprinted in the general direction of Hogwarts, with Harry right behind him. The wolves didn't give chase. Padfoot made half a mile in pretty good time before he slowed down. Harry kept his larger form, which he hadn't ran, in for a while. Sirius kept glancing at him as they leisurely made their way back toward Hogwarts. Harry took his normal kneazle form as he neared the grounds, and they went on in to their room and laid down by the fireplace. Sirius had a few more questions for Harry when they had the opportunity.

Christmas came, and left. So did New Year's Day. It didn't really bother Harry, since for him it was pretty much just another day. Harry and Padfoot had a lot of fun out on the grounds, and in the Forest. They avoided the spiders and the wolves. Dumbledore kept Xavier up to date on the lack of progress. Xavier made out Harry's Christmas cards and Diagon Alley gift certificates for him. Ginny was disappointed Harry missed Christmas, but even more worried about Harry being bound. She had not seen Harry since the night before he left for Hogwarts with Dumbledore.

The problem was resolved in a way no one could have anticipated. Sirius needed more sleep than Harry. One night while Sirius slept, Harry was on one of his castle excursions. "Harry Potter, Sir." Harry had made a leap toward Dobby before Dobby was able to finish that three word phrase. Harry was frozen in mid leap.

"Dobby is sorry about that, Harry Potter, Sir. Harry Potter went to Hogwarts the day after Dobby bound him. Nothing Dobby does will keep you from here. Dobby has come to remove your binding and tell you Dobby will bother you no more. The Elders have convinced Dobby that Dobby has made a serious crime against Harry Potter and Dobby must not continue to interfere in Harry Potter's life. Dobby's life is not his own to give, but any punishment Harry Potter gives, Dobby will accept." Dobby cast two quick spells, releasing Harry.

Harry's leap continued, catching the elf in the chest, pushing him backward with Harry remaining on top of him. Dobby was limp as a rag doll, laying there with his eyes closed as if sleeping. Dobby's chest was bleeding lightly where Harry's claws had grabbed him.

Harry's first impression was to tear the elf to pieces, so Dobby couldn't hurt him anymore. He had listened, suspended in the air, to everything that Dobby told him. The elf was, once again, completely honest in what he said, and Harry knew it without a doubt. He tried to transform to human form, and did so effortlessly. Dobby was no longer a valid threat. Looking down at Dobby, with great frustration, he said, "Stand up."

Dobby stood, but looked at the floor in remorse. Harry continued, "I have no desire to give pain, to you, or anyone else. I know you believe what you just told me. Punishment makes no sense to me. You are either a threat to me, or you are not a threat to me. I gain nothing by hurting you." Harry thought to himself, 'If you change your mind, and try to hurt me again, you won't get another chance. If I don't kill you, it won't be because I didn't try.'

"Dobby deserves punishment from the great and powerful Harry Potter," said Dobby.

"No one deserves punishment, elf. I am not going to try to explain any further. Leave me," said Harry. Dobby simply disappeared. Harry walked back to his room, and waited for Sirius to wake up.

He realized he was young, and untrained. That is why he was at Hogwarts. There wasn't anything in his current course schedule to reduce this susceptibility to magical attack. The second year of DADA was still heavily theory on creatures and hazards. A few weeks ago he had been involved in a dueling club demonstration that taught him protego, the shield charm, and expelliarmus, the disarming hex. He also knew the jelly legs jinx and the tickling charm, among other similar spells. Whoopty do, not much help there. Tonight, once again, he had been powerless against the elf. Harry knew he was physically very capable, but magic neutralized that easily. He thought about this until Sirius woke up.

"Harry!" exclaimed Sirius. "You're back! How?"

"Same elf that bound me, released me," said Harry. "He said he wouldn't bother me anymore."

"And you believed him!" shouted Sirius.

"Yeah, I believe him. At least I believe that is what he thinks today," said Harry. "I need training to defend myself against magical attack. The elf stopped me effortlessly tonight."

"Dumbledore will be here at 9:00, after breakfast. You can bring defense training up then," said Sirius.

Breakfast arrived, and Sirius dug in. "Harry, now that we can talk to each other, how did you change into that humongous cat? I didn't stand a chance against that pack," said Sirius.

"Have you tried to change the size of your transformation?" Harry asked. "I read a book that said the initial transformation is easiest if a person doesn't change their volume or weight."

"I haven't tried," replied Sirius. "I can't think of a reason to be smaller, but when those wolves tried to jump me, I wouldn't have minded being a whole lot larger. Of course, if I had had a little more time, I would have shown them the business end of my wand."

"I don't think the wolves would have bothered you if you were a wizard, and not a dog," said Harry. "As a dog, you were not allowed in their territory. I have been there several times, and I didn't think about Padfoot upsetting them."

"I'm going to try that size changing trick. That could come in handy. Hell, if I could get smaller, I could get through that damned door flap easier," said Sirius scowling.

Harry looked up at Sirius, and grinned. "You ever try this?" he asked. Harry changed into his normal kneazle form and jumped up on the chair. He changed his paw into a human hand as he reached for a fork, and picked it up. I bet you could get through a door easier this way," changing back.

"Your Dad and I never thought about partial transformation," replied Sirius. "That's a neat trick. I have turned a door knob with my mouth before. We became animagi to help out Remus. I wonder what ever happened to Remus. Anyway, Remus is a werewolf, and we used to keep him company on the full moon. A werewolf can't infect an animagus in animal form. Who knows why? Doesn't make any sense, but then magic doesn't always make sense. Your Dad and I were large enough to gang up on the werewolf to keep him in line. I don't know what kept the werewolf from eating the rat. I wish he HAD ate the rat." Sirius started telling stories about the marauders as animagi.

Dumbledore and McGonagall arrived promptly at 9:00. They were pleasantly surprised to see Harry sitting at the small table. "Harry, how did you get out of the binding?" asked Dumbledore.

"Elf showed up again, and released it. He said he wouldn't bother me anymore. I didn't have any defense against him. I am not too upset about the bludger. The game was over, and I thought the thing would go back to the box. When Dobby bound me, he hexed me before I even knew he was there. Tonight, I was moving toward him as soon as he got my name out of his mouth, and he effortlessly stopped me again. I need defense training."

"Harry, my boy," began Dumbledore. "That is why you are at Hogwarts. No one expects a boy your age to be able to defend against an adult wizard, or in this case, an adult elf. You will start learning a lot more about defense in your third year. You will know what every wizard knows by the end of your seventh year. Later, you might go to the Auror Academy. You don't need extra defense training now." Dumbledore thought, 'You're dangerous enough as it is. You need more time in our world.'

Harry could tell something about his question was bothering Dumbledore. He wouldn't get any help from him. "I want to thank you both for trying to help me," said Harry. "When can I go home?"

"You are most welcome, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Follow me to my office, and you can floo home right away."

"Mr. Potter, it was no problem, I just wish I had been able to help," said McGonagall. "I have spent many years studying the abilities of wizards and witches who are animagi. There are not that many of us. Could you come to my office when the new term starts, to discuss your transformation?"

"Yeah, sure, Professor. I would like that. I have some questions myself," said Harry. Light conversation continued as the professors finished their tea.

When Minerva finished her tea, she stood and said, "Good day, gentlemen, I really must be going. I am glad to see you are back to normal, Mr. Potter, as you are better able to attend my class" and left, with a smile on her face.

Dumbledore said, "Harry, I will be in my office until 10:50, if you want to use my fireplace. You are quite welcome to stay here until the holiday is over."

"I'll be there shortly, Headmaster," said Harry. "I just want to spend a few more minutes with Sirius."

"That is quite OK, Harry. I will see you soon," said Albus as he left.

"Sirius, I enjoyed spending time with Padfoot. I certainly didn't plan this holiday, but it turned out well enough," said Harry.

"I haven't done anything like since this before I went to Azkaban," said Sirius. "I have enjoyed it immensely. I will find the books I had at the Auror Academy, and give them to you when you come back for the spring term. I don't have any use for them now. They are restricted for use, except by aurors, but I trust you to keep them out of sight. Who knows? Maybe we can find some place around here to get in a little practice."

"I would like that," said Harry. "Thanks. I better go." Harry walked to the Headmaster's office, and announced himself to the gargoyles that guarded the entrance to the office. Presently, they moved aside, and Harry entered the office. He thanked the Headmaster again, and was gone.

Xavier was gone, so Harry went out back to visit with his family. Two hours later, he was on his way to the Burrow. Ginny was at her desk working on a sketch. She ran to the window, let him in, then ran to the door and locked it. She turned around, and there was Harry. She gave him a hug to rival one of Molly's rib-bruising crushes.

"How are you?" she asked softly. "Tell me everything." They sat on the bed, and Harry started at the top. Dobby, Dumbledore, Sirius, McGonagall, everything came spilling out.

"Ginny," he said. "I have never felt so defenseless. Dumbledore told me that is normal. I am SUPPOSED to be defenseless. I am a kid. When I see Xavier tonight, I am going to ask for training. He said when I wanted more, he would find a trainer. I am ready. Sirius is going to give me reading material, and some practical training if we can find a location. There has to be something I can do. I don't want this to happen again."

"You'll teach me, right?" she asked.

"Sure, no problem," he said. "Sirius and I had fun. Do you want Sirius to know about you?"

"I don't know," she said, "if Mum found out, she would have kittens." She laughed. "Kittens. My arse, more like it. I don't worry about Fred and George. They would never give me up to Mum. If Ron knew, he couldn't keep his mouth shut, once he lost his temper. The Twins stopped by a few times and discussed the transformation. I didn't say anything about your problem."

Harry had no clue how his magical core actually functioned. Practically everything he did was by instinct and intuition, and he just hadn't been exposed to elven curses before Dobby attacked him. If Voldemort had AK'd Harry before attacking his parents, Harry would not have survived.

Every human has a magical core. Squibs and muggles have a core that is too weak to manifest any magical power. Everyone's magical core is linked to what some call the subconscience, which is the center for intuition and instinct. Some muggles are quite perceptive. Everyone's spinal cord has enough independence to send a signal to muscles to drop a hot object before a person's brain has even been informed there is a problem. Similarly, Harry's core was hyper-sensitive to magical frequencies, or signatures, if you will. The avada kedavra has the finesse of an air raid siren, and it took three of them for Harry's core to catalog it well enough for accidental, or instinctive, magic to reflect it. Harry had a long way to go, and a lot to learn. The good thing about it, was now he knew it. He was going to make some changes.

Harry spent about three hours with Ginny. They didn't even bring up the foregone Christmas. He met Xavier going in to the dining room.

"Harry, I heard you were back," said Xavier smiling. "Discussion after supper?"

"Sounds good," replied Harry.

Supper was the usual, simple affair. Harry and Xavier retired to the study. Harry repeated the entire story again.

"Xavier," he asked. "How can I prevent this from happening again. You mentioned you might find me a trainer?"

"I thought it might be a couple more years," replied Xavier, "but I will contact some of my old acquaintances. I know some retired hit wizards. I have never understood that silly name, but they are essentially the small military arm of the ministry. We don't really need much of a military. The last glaring need was Voldemort, and they were not very effective. Voldemort was hard to track, and pin down. If a wizard wants to hide, he can hide. Voldemort was careful to avoid their teams. One on one, Voldemort is about as good a fighter as exists. Ruthless bastard too, and he likes to play. I doubt he could stand face to face with a hit wizard team. Voldemort did have a few talented Death Eaters. Some of his best are in Azkaban. Hit wizards are authorized to execute on sight. They seldom try to apprehend a target. They are not part of the DMLE, but they can be asked to assist the DMLE. No one attacks a hit wizard, without expecting deadly force to be returned. Many wizards will resist arrest by aurors, but when hit wizards are assisting aurors, most wizards just surrender. When on a mission, HW's just need positive identification of the target. The standing committee in the Wizengamut rarely authorizes hit wizard missions, unless someone has been convicted in absentia. The usual Wizengamut sentence is Azkaban, or The Kiss. Voldemort had a pending death sentence, execute on sight. I don't think Albus Dumbledore would ever assist an HW team, or even notify one, if he saw a criminal."

"Can you find me someone for next summer?" asked Harry.

"I believe I can," replied Xavier. "On a happier note, I put your Christmas gifts in your room, and sent out gift cards in your name."

"Thanks," said Harry. "Dobby kind of messed things up for me. I hope I have seen the last of his trouble."

"Speaking of trouble," asked Xavier, "how much grief did you receive over the parseltongue event?"

"Not too much," said Harry. "People have been avoiding me, but I am not that close to many people anyway. The few friends I have don't care, one way or the other."

"Don't underestimate this problem, Harry," said Xavier. "Most of the wizarding world associates the parseltongue ability with evil wizards. You could go from legendary hero to evil lord in a heart beat."

"I'll be careful," said Harry. "Now that I know what is happening, I will avoid any public discussions with snakes. Speaking of snakes, I think I hear one in the walls at Hogwarts. I haven't been able to catch up with it when I have tried."

"Have you been going into the walls?" Xavier asked. "I didn't know that was possible."

"Only house elves and smaller creatures, like my kneazle, can move through the walls where the pipes run. The passages are tight in some places. I can move around easily, as a cat," said Harry.

"Watch your arse, Harry," Xavier said. "If you get into trouble in the walls, there may be no one to find you."

"I'll be careful," said Harry. "There is an elf named Kob that I talk to from time to time in there." He still hadn't told anyone about Ginny, and saw no need to. It was her secret to tell.

"I'll remember that name," replied Xavier. "Do you need anything from Diagon Alley before you go back to school?"

"No, I'm good," said Harry. "Thanks for all your help."

"I am happy to be some assistance, Harry," he said smiling. "This is one of the pleasures of getting old. I will see you at breakfast." Harry was cordial with the rest of the Figg household, but he was little more than a temporary guest. Everyone knew, of course, that Xavier had taken him on as a ward, and Harry was in school. Once again, Harry had spent little time at the compound, as far as the others knew. He had a room, and access to the fireplace. Sometimes he was in his room, sometimes he wasn't. Everyone knew he met regularly with Xavier.

A few more turns of the sun, and Harry was back on the Hogwarts Express, sitting with Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Luna.


	11. Chapter 11 Second Year, Spring Term

Chapter 11 Second Year, Spring Term

Classes resumed normally. Professor Snape was as acid-tongued and exacting as ever. Professor Flitwick's class was the usual enjoyable hour. Professor Lockhart would likely always be a conceited boor and useless teacher. Professor Sprout diligently taught her craft. Professor Binns remained the epitome of sleep-inducing lecturers. Professor McGonagall rounded out Harry's consistent workload. The only change to Harry's routine was when McGonagall asked Harry to stay after her last class of the first week of spring term.

"Mr. Potter," she began, " do you have the time to come with me to my office? I would like to discuss a project with you."

"Yes, Professor," Harry replied. "I have nothing scheduled right now."

It was a short walk to her office. She closed her door, and the automatic privacy wards engaged. "Would you like some tea?" she asked. "I was ever so surprised to discover you are an animagus. I would like to discuss the animagus transformation with you. I has been a fascination of mine for years, and it is the reason I chose to get my Master of Transfiguration. I would like to talk to you, not as your Head of House or Professor, but as a fellow animagus. As such, you do not have to say anything you would rather keep private. I will understand."

"I don't mind, Professor," he replied. "I have several questions about the transformation myself. Xavier Figg, my guardian, has asked me to keep this ability to myself. He said it might save my life sometime."

"I have no problem with that. The Ministry requires that animagi be registered, but I am not a Ministry official, and I will not press for you to register. As I understand it, the Ministry will only prosecute an unregistered animagus if they have used their ability for criminal purposes. There is a law stating all animagi must register, but the fine is normally small, and they are not too concerned. Your parseltongue ability generates more attention, and there is no law prohibiting the communication with another species. We are, after all, the wizarding world. What questions do you have for me?"

"I have seen the photos of flying cats. I want to form wings. I don't know whether to use feathers, like a bird or pegasus, or skin, like a bat or dragon. I have the start of the foundation, but I am unsure of the bone and muscle structure I need. I didn't think I could ask you more than I did last year, without telling you of my kneazle form."

"I never would have thought that one so young would make the change. Furthermore, few animagi I know try to modify their form once they have one. Most adults do not have the determination necessary, and it is unheard of in children," she said. "I have seen your form. Did you make your first transformation in your final form, or were you larger?"

"I went straight to final form, but I don't remember much of that first time. I spent eight years as a kneazle, until I tried human form a couple years ago. I had to learn the animagus transformation to take human form."

"I have never heard of such a thing!" exclaimed McGonagall. "That is how you disappeared years ago."

"Looking back, I have pieced the details together. My parents were murdered, and I went to live with Aunt Petunia. That was ... a difficult time. I wanted desperately to be a kneazle, and I was. I would have stayed a kneazle, but I learned of Hogwarts, and wanted to attend. Learning magic sounded interesting. It took me a while to take the human form."

"You don't have the experience to know this, but the animagus transformation is a bit different from other types of human transformation, in that the magic also transfers some of the instincts and personality traits associated with the animals we transform into," she said. "You have spent more time as cat than you have as human. I believe that animagi are more than human, and more than cat, in our case. Spending as much time as a kneazle certainly doesn't seem to have harmed you any. It would appear that you were not content to stay ... just ... a kneazle."

Professor McGonagall continued, "And now you want to fly. I might be able to help you with that. I have seen those flying cats."

She started changing, smaller and smaller. Harry had seen her transformation before, but this one was different. She was smaller still. She spread her wings. WINGS! She flew to the top of a bookcase, and then returned to the chair.

Resuming human form, she said, "Very few people know of this ability of mine. An animagus is rare. An animagus that can modify that form is yet again more rare. It took me several years to accomplish. I trust you can keep this information to yourself?" McGonagall had few people with which to share her utter fascination of the animagus transformation.

"No problem, Professor," he said grinning. "I will show you what I have done so far." He changed into the form that Ginny rode.

"Oh my," said McGonagall. "What a nice size. It is unlikely you would be able to fly at this size, but it is good for learning, especially with the initial transformation . May I touch your wings?" Harry nodded, and voiced a semblance of "Yes."

McGonagall ran her hands over his back and down over the ribs. "I put this higher on the ribcage, here," she said, moving her hands into position. "The muscles here should be heavier. Let's change position, and I will show you."

She made a large version of the flying cat, and opened the beginning of her wings. Her wing span at this size was much larger than her office could contain, and she didn't want to spill her organized office about. Harry saw what she was talking about, as he examined the muscles and structure. This cat had huge chest muscles overlaying the ribs. He paid special attention to where the fur stopped, and feathers started. This was something Harry's core could work with, and it was working big time. Harry's hands were roaming over muscle. Presently, she resumed human form.

"See what I mean?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Harry. "I also saw where your feathers start. The wing bones really are not much different than my arms, but the feathers are another thing."

"May I call you Harry?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied.

"I have spent quite some time in my years, as a house cat, and they do not make the community that African lions and kneazles do. House cats are much more solitary, though they will stay in looser groups. I like to meditate as a cat before I go to sleep. My position here at Hogwarts keeps me rather busy, and I don't spend as much time as a cat as I might like. You spent a lot of time as a kneazle. What would you say are the differences in being human and kneazle?"

"Humans are so isolated, like potions on the shelf. You have me remembering about when I first made the change. You have told me that wizards have to have the determination to make the change. I was so ... alone. I saw the cats, and I wanted to be a kitten, and be with them, so very much. As a kneazle, I will never be alone again. I have a difficult time with people, because they can't communicate emotionally. Kneazles ... speak ... love, happiness, anger, hurt, all of the emotions. Humans talk ABOUT emotions. They ... display ... emotions, but the emotion displayed may or may not be real. Girls are better at displaying and reading emotional content than boys are, but they still get confused. Humans have to guess what other's emotions are, and they are many times wrong. Kneazles can't wear masks to hide what they feel from another kneazle. There are a few humans I have met that are not driven by their fears and insecurities, but not many. Can you imagine what humanity would be like if they couldn't lie to each other?"

He continued, " I don't know what to tell you about my foster family and the pride. We guard the Figg's property. It is important that we guard the territory well. It is our home. Kneazles are normally content and at peace. We have simple wants and needs. It is warm and dry with the Figgs. In bad weather, we use dry watch stations, and we usually take patrols in pairs or small groups. We understand humans, and they provide quite a bit of ... entertainment. We have our favorites, for various reasons. Kneazles and humans work well together, if we find good humans."

"Harry, I find this very interesting," said the Professor. "Would you like to meet regularly, to work on your wings and discuss the cultural differences?" It didn't bother the professor, when Harry spoke of himself as a kneazle, since she had a good understanding of what the animagus transformation could be. Harry was both human and kneazle.

"I would like that, Professor," he said. "You have already given me a lot to work on. Do you fly often?"

"No, Harry," said McGonagall. "The flying cat is rare, and I also don't draw attention to myself here. As far as the world knows, I can only change myself into the tabby house cat. I make the transformation sometimes in the summer when I go back to my ancestral home, but I don't now, as much as I once did. You have renewed my interest." They visited for a while longer, and Harry left. Professor McGonagall hadn't been this intrigued in years.

Ginny and Harry ran through the castle, more often than not, at night before daybreak. They were not missed during curfew with that schedule, since most of the students were fast asleep then. Sometimes Ginny would sleep in, but Harry never did. They were seldom spotted, but no one gave them a second look. They were just someone's pet cats out on the prowl. They had a lot of room to run, since the castle was huge.

They still met with the twins on an irregular basis. Fred and George had decided on spider monkeys. They thought it would be easier to make the transformation, since monkeys were close to human in form. They would be small and agile. They made the twins 'office' into a lounge of sorts, where Harry and Ginny would do homework while the twins worked on the transformation. The twins were starting to make progress.

"Oi, Harry," began George, "What happens if we get stuck, and can't change back?"

"From what I have read," replied Harry, "you are likely to get stuck for two reasons. The first, is panic. Some people get so upset they might not be able to change back, that they can't focus well enough. The second, is magical exhaustion. If a person has used up all of their energy, so to speak, they have to wait until they recharge. You should have no trouble."

Ginny spoke up, "Most of the stories we have heard about people stuck in animal form are stories about one wizard enchanting another. In the old days, it was a common form of punishment. Half a dozen wizards from the DMLE can cast a pretty binding human to animal transformation."

Fred said, "Yeah, it wouldn't be so bad being a horse, but can you imagine being a dung beetle?"

"Nothing is worse than Azkaban," said Harry. That was a sobering thought. Everyone just went back to what they were doing.

Harry was working with Sirius in the sheep barn late in February. Lambs were going to be born soon. Sirius would be staying in the barn during the week the lambs were born, in case there were complications during the birthing process. Troubles could injure either the lamb or the ewe. Harry had permission to spend nights in the barn, so he could learn what to do if there were problems.

"Harry, have you been reading those books I gave you?" asked Sirius. "That is a lot of material to cover."

"Yeah, I've read through all of them," Harry replied, "but I don't have a place to practice. I have tried a few spells in unused classrooms, but I don't have anyone to tell me how I am doing. I don't have any way to measure success."

"I think I have a solution for that," said Sirius. "I have a steady job here, and I think it is working well. I am buying an old manor house in Hogsmeade. It needs a bit of work. The family was killed by Voldemort in the seventy's, and the heirs have had it on the market for a while. I made a decent deal on it. They wanted to sell pretty bad. Anyway, it has a training room in the basement that I can fix up. Underage magic is allowed in a properly set up training room, with proper licensing. As an ex-auror, I didn't have any problem getting a license. Your Dad and I found out that the wards on the castle don't tell the Headmaster when an animagus crosses them. We didn't get caught anymore after we found that out. That is why you have been so successful in entering the Forest without getting in trouble. We will be able to set up some times for you to come over and practice for an hour or so."

"That sounds great," said Harry. "When can we start?"

"Give me a couple weeks," replied Sirius. "I should have some time after these lambs are born."

"There was another student petrified this week," said Harry. "People are starting to avoid me again. Not that I mind, really. No one seems to even know how they are being petrified, let alone know how to stop it."

"I've never heard anything like it," said Sirius, "and I come from a pretty dark family. There was nothing like it mentioned at the Academy either. What made you want to be a midwife to a sheep, anyway?"

"I want to be a healer. Sounds like pretty good practice to me," said Harry. "Besides, it gets me out of the castle for a while. I like school and all, but I like to get out."

"I know what you mean," replied Sirius, "I was out quite a bit when I was a student, but I wasn't out in the barns. We were out cooking up pranks."

"The twins like doing that," said Harry. "Maybe I ought to have them talk to you."

"Naw, that's OK," grinned Sirius. "No one is likely to break our records for pranks or detentions. When is Ginny coming out with you next time?"

"She will want to see the babies after they are born. She says all babies are cute," said Harry.

"You're going to have to watch that one, Harry. You see, there is a pattern with Potter men and red headed women," said Sirius. "Your dad, grand dad and his brother were married to red heads."

"Did you know them?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, I spent a lot of time with your dad. The war hurt a lot of families," said Sirius sadly. "Your grand dad was better to me than my own father. I left home when I was fifteen. When I wasn't at school, I went home with your dad. Your dad and me were closer than my own brother. Oh well, enough of that. Let's get these cubicles ready. We don't want the mothers to get nervous, do we?"

The following week, several sheep were born, with no complications. Friday night there was one young ewe that broke the string of good luck.

"Harry, I am going to get Hagrid," said Sirius. "This is a little over my head. This one is stuck."

Harry tried to keep the young ewe quiet while he waited. The ewe was exhausted. Sirius returned with Hagrid.

"Hi ya, Harry," said Hagrid. "What's the problem?"

"The lamb is wrong, somehow. The ewe keeps straining, and nothing is happening," said Harry. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I am going to try to reposition the baby so it isn't backward," said Hagrid. His large hands gently pushed and lifted on the sides of the ewe. "I am not having any luck," said Hagrid. "My hands are too big for what needs to be done. One of you guys are going to have to reach inside, and try to move the lamb."

"I don't think I can do that, Hagrid," said Sirius, with a sour look on his face.

"What do I need to do?" asked Harry.

"We need to reposition the lamb. You reach in, and push the baby's butt back so we can roll it around. Easy now. Let me pick up a bit here. Push a bit more, that's got it. Finished."

A few minutes later, a lamb was born. It probably would have been easier if she had twins, but it was a large single.

"Harry, dry the little guy off, and keep him warm while his mother recovers. She is too tired to get up right now," said Hagrid. "Good job. I will see you guys tomorrow."

Another week passed before Sirius was finished in the sheep barn. A kneazle followed Sirius home. They ate a couple simple sandwiches with some crisps, and washed it all down with apple juice. Harry followed Sirius downstairs to the training room.

"Harry," Sirius began. "You don't need the fancy moves like Dumbledore has to be an effective fighter. Pick your shields and a few decent hexes like stupefy the stunner, reducto the blaster, a couple cutters like lacero, and get good with them. We want to work on speed, strength, and accuracy. Let's see what you have been working on."

It became apparent very quickly that Harry was good with shields. Very good. The medium power stunners were not getting through those shields. Sirius didn't want to use anything that could require medical treatment if there was a training accident. He set up some targets for Harry, and Harry started firing. Sirius thought he wasn't bad for a first timer. Harry had a grin on his face. He was having a good time. Harry went to Sirius' training room at least once a week.

Harry was visiting regularly with Professor McGonagall as well. He was making quick progress on his wings. Harry had mimicked the size of the flying cat, and had his wings well positioned. Feathers were coming along fairly well. The Professor set up a mirror so Harry could see the results better. Harry probably could finish the wings immediately if he was a bit more ... desperate and instinctive. Harry was working on this modification much like he had when he learned how to make the human transformation. This process was on the intellectual basis, and a bit slower. The both of them were pleased with his progress.

Professor McGonagall thought he would be finished before the end of term. "Harry," she asked, "You are making great progress on those wings. Would you like to visit Castle McGonagall in the Highlands during the summer holidays? It is beautiful in the summer. You could try out those wings, with little risk of being seen, or reported. It is on the floo network. I would just have to clear you for the wards, after you come through the public floo."

"I will have to wait until the summer comes, to see when I might be available. I would like that. It would be fun to fly together. In the mean time, I might try to fly at night, if I get my wings ready. My night vision is very good," said Harry. "Do many people live at your castle?"

"Not as many as there once was," replied McGonagall. "It is still a working castle. The estate has about fifteen thousand acres. My uncle is Head of House McGonagall. The war took my husband, Duncan McGowan. I kept the name I was born with, as is custom. The castle is several centuries old."

"Do you have children?" asked Harry.

"I have four, Thomas, Mary, Ryan, and Catherine. All are McGowan. I never remarried. I have thirteen grandchildren, and twenty great grandchildren. That is quite a tale to tell, if you get me started, Harry," she said, smiling.

The first week of April was unseasonably warm. Ginny wanted to go riding again. Harry and Ginny transformed, and walked out into the Forest. Harry thought it had been dumb luck that they had not been caught by the wards when Ginny first started riding. No one paid any attention to a couple cats going into the Forest. Harry's wings were magnificent in his larger form, not that he tried to use them. He kept them folded. Ginny couldn't have wiped the grin off of her face if she wanted to. Once deep in the forest, they both walked around as large cats. Harry wasn't ready to repeat what had happened with Sirius. The only creature likely to attack the large cats was an acromantula, and those were not going to get near Harry without him knowing it. He had known the wolves were near Sirius, he just hadn't expected a problem. They went back to the castle grounds, and spent some time with Sirius. Ginny still didn't want to tell anyone else about her animagus form.

Harry woke up early one morning in late April, and went deep into the lower parts of the castle walls. He heard the snake talking. "_Rip ... tear ... kill ... soo hungry .... for so long ... kill ... time to kill."_

Harry crept down a passage so narrow he could barely pass. He came to the top of a large junction, and looked down. He saw it. It was huge. It was at least eighteen inches in diameter, maybe more, and at least fifty or sixty feet long. I was hard to tell, since much of its length was coiled around itself. He discovered he could speak parseltongue as a kneazle. It shouldn't have been surprising, since cats can hiss so easily, he just hadn't tried before.

"_If you are so hungry, why don't you hunt?_" he asked.

"_Another speaker!_" the snake exclaimed. _"I am so very hungry, the hunger is maddening. I sustain myself on the few rats that cross my path, but they are not enough. Fifty years ago, a speaker closed off the access I have to the Forest from my Chamber. I could leave the castle through the upper floors, but it is unlikely I would be allowed back in through the upper floors. Basilisks are feared, above all snakes. If I was going to leave, I would have left centuries ago."_

_"What do you eat?"_ asked Harry.

_"Anything not of the castle, and not larger than a stag,"_ replied the snake. _"I could probably eat a cow, but it would take a while. I wouldn't be ... defenseless ... , but it is hard to fight when one's mouth is full."_

_"What do you mean by 'of the castle'? Does it have to be alive?"_ asked Harry.

_"Food can not be a student, teacher, visitor, or pet. No, I do not care if food is alive. I am too hungry to care about that,"_ said the snake.

_"I can bring a pig to you. How do I get it to you?"_ asked Harry.

_"There is a room on the second floor that the pipes connect to that has a chute. Salazar would bring things into the chamber that way, because it was easy. It hasn't been used since then. There is a staircase to the right of the chute. All you need to do is ask the chute to open in parsel, and it will open." _replied the snake.

_"I will bring you a pig soon."_ said Harry, thinking that the pipes all connect to bathrooms and loos.

_"I will be waiting. The other speaker makes me attack students,"_ said the snake.

Harry left the castle through the animal access flap, and went down to the feeder lot where there were still a few young pigs being fattened. He picked up a 5-pound hammer from Hagrid's shed, picked out one that weighed about three or four stone. He leaped over the fence, and hit it right above the eyes with the hammer. The pig dropped like a rock. Harry put the pig under his arm, and took off. He tossed the pig through the flap, and followed. He knew where the second floor bathrooms were, and went directly there. He went into the boys loo, and said 'open' in parsel. Nothing happened. He went down the hall to the girls loo, and repeated 'open', in parsel. The bank of sinks dropped down, and over, exposing the chute the snake had mentioned. Harry threw the pig in, and said 'close' in parsel, and it closed. It was nearing the end of curfew, so Harry returned to his room. He would try to find the snake again that night.

He met Ginny for breakfast, and quietly told her what he had done.

"What! Are you crazy!" exclaimed Ginny.

"Not so loud," murmured Harry.

"You wouldn't even be a snack for a snake that size," whispered Ginny. "What were you thinking?"

"I was in a tunnel too small for the snake to follow," replied Harry. "It's hungry, and I said I would feed it."

"I'm going with you next time," said Ginny.

"How come it is dangerous for me, but not you?" asked Harry.

"Prat," said Ginny with a smirk. "I am going."

"OK," replied Harry.

Early next morning, in the small hours before dawn, Harry and Ginny were back in the tunnels. Harry went to the same place, and there was the snake.

_"Did you get the pig?"_ hissed Harry.

_"Yes, thank you speaker,"_ said the snake. _"Much better. Could you get me another? So much better than rats."_

_"I can do that,"_ said Harry. _"You seem pretty vocal for a snake. Why do you stay in the castle? What can I do to get you out?"_

_"I am a basilisk, and the protector of the castle. Basilisks are created by wizards to be guards, and I was made by Salazar Slytherin. I told Salazar Slytherin I would protect the castle as long as I live. I am very old and could get much older. I have listened to students for years. I have had quite an ... education. I fear to enter the castle proper, unless there is an attack on the castle, I will not go."_

_"Slytherin put many enchantments on me. Fifty years ago, a speaker sealed my access to the Forest. He meant for me to be ravenous. The speaker wanted me to eat certain students, but I refused. In fact, I absolutely can not eat any under the protection of the castle. I can go a very long time with out eating, but the hunger never ceases. The speaker stumbled upon the activation phrase for one of the compulsion enchantments Slytherin placed on me, and forced me to attack. Now there is another speaker making the same requests, and using the compulsion phrase. I have attacked students, but not killed them,"_ explained the snake.

_"You are the reason students are petrified?"_ asked Harry.

_"Yes, most basilisks kill when their eyes are green, but Salazar put another enchantment on my eyes. The worst I can do with my eyes is petrify when I meet the eyes of target. It still stops the enemies of the school. I can not attack those of the school, but I would like to stop this speaker that knows the compulsion phrase. The hunger makes the compulsion last longer. I would hide, but the speaker knows how to summon me."_ said the snake.

_"Can you help me stop this person? Can you tell me what they look like?"_ asked Harry.

_"Yes, I can help you in many ways. I am the King of Snakes, and I have lived in this castle for over a thousand years. I listen to what goes on, and I forget very little. This speaker is a female, but she acts the same as the one who discovered the compulsion fifty years ago. First, you must find some of my shed skin. Take the blue eyelids to cover your eyes, so you can not be petrified if I am being controlled,"_ said the snake. _"You will also find some of my discarded fangs. Do not touch them with your bare hands, as they are still poisonous. I don't lose all of my fangs when I shed, but fangs do not last a thousand years. The fangs can be made into formidable weapons. My shed skin makes durable leather goods. You have relieved the hunger. For that, I am in your debt."_

_"Will you tell me the compulsion phrase? Why did Slytherin put this charm on you?"_ asked Harry.

_"I will not tell you how to control me. When I am shedding, I am ... disagreeable. Salazar put a compulsion enchantment on me that he could use so he could help me out of my old skin. It is difficult to shed, and it itches."_

_"Is there a phrase to cancel the compulsion?"_ asked Harry.

_"Yes, 'Shut up, Gryffindor' is the phrase. Slytherin had an odd sense of humor,"_ replied the snake.

_"Thank you. I will bring more food,"_ said Harry. He turned, and took off down the tunnel, with Ginny hot on his heels. Soon they were running side by side down the first floor hallway.

"Where you going, Harry?" asked Ginny.

"Food for snake," replied Harry. "You want to stay here? I will be right back."

"OK," replied Ginny. Harry took off at near full speed. He picked up another stunned pig, shouldered it, and ran back to the castle in human form. He met Ginny, and led her to the second floor girls' loo. He told her everything the snake had said as they walked. He dropped the pig down the chute.

"This is Myrtle's loo," said Ginny. "Luna and I have been talking to her, from time to time. She seldom leaves here, and none of the girls will use this loo. She is a bit lonely and very shy." She continued talking as Harry opened the wall, dropped the pig down the chute, and closed again. "She died fifty years ago. That can't be a coincidence, can it?"

"Get the details of how she died, if you can," asked Harry. "We better hurry. It is almost time for breakfast."

A couple days later, Harry and Ginny were talking in the upper reaches of the catacombs of the chamber. Harry had found the blue eyelids, skin, and shed fangs. Harry was keeping the fangs in discarded dragon hide gloves. He made a stiletto with one of the fangs and using an antler for a handle. He had made three sets of goggles with the eyelids and skin. The fangs were remarkably strong, with sharp points. The hollow fangs easily held the metal rod Harry ran through the antler handle. He made a sheath for the fang stiletto from the basilisk skin. He kept the various objects in a small book bag.

Ginny told Harry about the discussion she and Luna had with Myrtle. Myrtle had been murdered in the loo she haunted. She didn't know who killed her, or how she died. She had heard something dragging across the floor, and saw something huge, with yellow eyes. She died, soon after looking at the eyes. She 'woke up dead' days later in her loo. This had not been much help when the authorities tried to solve the murder, and it remained a mystery to this day.

Late in May, Professor McGonagall's voice rang out through the castle. "All students return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers report to the staff room. Prefects, take a head count."

In the staff room, McGonagall was talking to the gathered professors. "There was writing on the wall again. It says, "THE MUDBLOOD'S SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER." This is the end of Hogwarts," she was saying as Lockhart ran into the room.

"Just the man we need," said Snape. "You were saying how disappointed you were that you hadn't had a crack at what ever, or who ever, is petrifying students. Didn't you say the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given free rein from the first? Dumbledore has been called to the ministry. This is a perfect time for you to do what you want. A girl has been taken to Slytherin's lair."

Lockhart didn't look happy. "V-very well," he said. "I'll be in my office, getting ready." He left the room immediately.

Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor common room, a head count was being taken. Hermione was no where to be seen. Ron was beside himself with worry. "Harry, Ginny, what can we do? I know! I am going to Professor Lockhart. I will tell him Hermione is missing." He was out the entrance before Percy could stop him.

Harry lead Ginny over to the side of the fireplace. "I am going to the Chamber. If you need to, tell them I have gone to the loo. If things calm down here, meet me in Myrtle's loo."

"Be careful, Harry," she said, as he walked to the boy's bathroom. He entered the catacombs, and picked up his bag with the goggles and fangs, among other things. He transformed, and went deep into the castle.

Ron was going to knock on Lockhart's door, but he heard him talking to a house elf. "Elf, transport my trunks to the railway station, and have them shipped to my house in Liverpool, collect on delivery. I will be there when they arrive."

"What!" yelled Ron. "You aren't going to help her? You are the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. You can't leave."

"Well, I must say, when I took the job, nothing in the job description said anything about ...," mumbled Lockhart.

"What about all that stuff you have done in your books?" asked Ron.

"My dear boy," began Lockhart, "books can be misleading."

"I am going to tell McGonagall," and Ron turned toward Gryffindor tower. Lockhart stupefied him in the back, and began walking toward the exit.

Once he was down in the chamber, Harry took human form, and began looking for Hermione. It didn't take him long to find her, sitting slumped over in a pile by a statue. A small, magically active book was lying on the ground. There was a wispy trail flowing from Hermione to the book, and from the book to a ghostly figure standing beside Hermione. The ghostly figure was looking at Harry.

"Are you a ghost?" asked Harry.

"No, I am a memory that was preserved in the diary made fifty years ago. I am the memory of Tom Riddle," said Tom.

"I am taking her to the hospital wing," said Harry.

"No, I don't think so," said Tom. "In three or fours hours, she will be dead. Her life will renew mine."

Harry kicked the book away from Hermione, but the wispy trail was still attached. "Incendio!" he yelled, but there was no effect on the book.

"My, my, Harry," said Tom. "Don't you think I would have protected my diary? None of your spells will work, and there is nothing you can do to stop the transfer of her life force to me."

"Stupefy! Reducto!" yelled Harry, as he pointed his wand at Tom. The spells went right through the ghostly figure.

Riddle began a rant. "I am not solid enough for those to harm me, Harry. We have lots of time to talk. She is quite the scholar, and she really enjoys writing in a diary that never runs out of pages. One of the better items I created, really. She wrote a lot about you, Harry. You are quite the mysterious hero. You don't sleep much, and you can see thestrals. Who did you see die, Harry? Your mum, I think. You are the boy who lived. Strong enough to carry the mudblood away from a troll, and strong enough to easily break fingers. A werewolf could do that in his human form, but you don't get sick during the full moon. Your greatest desire is a tiger house cat? We have drawn a conclusion, her and I. You are an animagus, Harry. Cat, most likely, since that is your greatest desire. Wouldn't Witch Weekly like that information? Harry, is that how you destroyed the greatest wizard who ever lived?"

"I don't have any idea how that happened," replied Harry.

"It took a long time, before she stopped trusting my diary, but she did. She fought me for some time this term. A very good mind, actually. Pity she must die, so that I may live," said Riddle.

"I will stop you before the time is up," said Harry. "I will take her to the Headmaster, and he will know what to do."

"You will NOT defeat me again!" exclaimed the ghostly figure. "How could a boy of average magical talent, albeit physically strong, defeat me? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed? Never again."

"Voldemort was after your time," said Harry. "I am twelve years old, and you said you made the diary fifty years ago."

"Voldemort is my past, present, and future," said the spectral figure. He reached over, and picked up the vapor trail. He formed the words, Tom Marvolo Riddle, then rearranged the letters. The new words were: I am Lord Voldemort.

"You see," he continued, "I gave myself a new and better name. My father, Tom Riddle, was a muggle that abandoned my witch mother. My mother died, leaving me in an muggle orphanage. She was of the line of Salazar Slytherin, so I had to create a better name."

"I don't think so," said Harry, picking up the diary and Hermione. "You aren't solid enough to stop me."

"I have help," said Riddle. _"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."_ Noise could be heard in the distance, and it was getting closer. "You see, Harry," he continued, "I control a basilisk, the greatest of serpents. I can't get him to eat people, but he does petrify students wonderfully, don't you think? You will be here, forever, Harry Potter."

Harry reached into his bag, and brought out a pair of goggles, putting them on, as Riddle yelled, _"Petrify him!"_ The basilisk's eyes changed from yellow to green, but they had no effect on Harry.

_"What is this? Squeeze him."_ said Riddle. The snake came forward.

Harry yelled, "Shut up Gryffindor, bite the book!" The huge serpent hesitated briefly, and snatched the book out of Harry's hand.

The spectral figure wailed, _"NO!"_, but it was quite too late. The diary fell to the ground, with a large hole in the middle oozing, sizzling ink. Riddle was contorting and twisting. He suddenly became vapor, and was drawn into Hermione's unconscious body.

_"Thank you,"_ said Harry. _"I must get her to the infirmary."_

_"No, it is you I must thank,"_ replied the snake. _"I am free from that menace. He killed a student near the chute, when he was a student here a few years ago. Please keep my existence a secret."_

_"I can do that. I will return later."_

Harry picked up Hermione and the diary, and started for the stairs. Ten minutes later, he opened the wall into Myrtle's loo. There he found Ginny being restrained by Gilderoy Lockhart, the wand in his hand pointed at Ginny's chest.

"Harry, this git found me. I messed up, and went out in the hallway. He was headed for Hogsmeade. He read my mind. He won't shut up. He is some sort of expert with the mental arts. He told me he is going to obliviate us both, and claim responsibility for the rescue of two students. He is writing a new book, The Hero of Hogwarts," said Ginny rapidly.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, my specialty is, indeed, the mental arts. I had to lie low, since the Headmaster is as good as I am. I am on my way out now, and it doesn't matter. How convenient that you have brought the victim. Were you the Heir of Slytherin, as many have guessed? You have lived up to the reputation of those who speak parseltongue," smirked Lockhart. "This is going to be my best book ever, two victims and a villain. Obliviate!" Ginny stood there momentarily with a stunned look on her face, and passed out. "Now your turn, Mr. Potter. You are the villain in my tale. Reduc ..." Harry dropped Hermione, and started to move. He had practiced dodging spells thrown by Sirius.

Gilderoy never got the chance to finish the spell. The basilisk emerged from the feeding chute, and struck like lightening, and left just as quickly. A student had been threatened, and the basilisk knew its primary function. Two pigs, and a git ... the big snake wouldn't need to feed for a month, or so. The world never found out what happened to Lockhart. His trunks showed up at his house, but Gilderoy never paid the bill.

Harry had two unconscious girls and the ruined diary. He pocketed the stiletto, tossed his bag on the stairs, and closed the wall. He wanted to protect the basilisk's existence at the castle. He would try to wake up Ginny first.

"Enervate," said Harry, "using a spell Sirius had taught him." Ginny awoke, and sat up.

"Harry, Oh my," she said, as a wave of dizziness hit her. "What am I doing here? Why is Hermione here?"

"Long story," replied Harry. "Hermione was possessed by this diary, and it has been destroyed. She is still out of it. I want to keep out of the investigation, if possible."

Ginny thought for a while. It was too bad the twins couldn't get here. They could really cover-up a prank, and that skill could be put to use here. What would the twins do? What had they told her about their shenanigans. "How did that hole get in the diary?" she asked.

"A fang, like this, went through it." He pulled out the stiletto.

"Where did you get that, Harry?" Ginny asked.

'Grrrr, Lockhart was good,' thought Harry. 'How much knowledge of the Chamber did he take from her?' "I made it," he said quickly.

Ginny's mind was spinning ideas. "Stick that thing in the diary, and put it up against the wall. I will go to the common room through the ducts. Find Kob, and tell him about Hermione. He will tell the Headmaster. Meet me in the common room." She placed Hermione near the diary.

"Let's go," said Ginny. It took Harry a while to find Kob, but he did.

Harry and Ginny were on a couch in the common room when the announcement was heard throughout the castle. "Students are released from the common rooms. The crisis is over. Students are now released from the common rooms," said the voice of McGonagall.

Harry and Ginny made their way to the infirmary. Ron was sitting up in a bed, watching the crowd around Hermione's bed. She was crying softly. Harry and Ginny could now hear the conversation.

"Miss Granger," said the Headmaster, "please try to put this event behind you. As I told you earlier, I am familiar with Tom Riddle, ... and his deeds. I am just surprised you found an item of his, after all of these years."

Hermione had slowed her crying further. With a small sniffle, she said, "It was in the bags of books I bought at the beginning of the year. I didn't think anything of it. In fact, it was an amazing small diary. No matter how much I wrote in it, I could write more. Anytime I wanted to review what I wrote, I just had to think about the passage, and it was there. Later, it started controlling me, and I couldn't stop it." She started crying again. Ginny stepped forward, sat on the bed, and put her arms around Hermione's shoulders, as the girl continued to cry.

Madam Pomfrey spoke up. "Please, Miss Granger needs her rest. Surely, any more questions can wait."

Dumbledore said, "Quite right." The matron handed Hermione a sleeping potion, and she drank it down, with a grimace. A few moments later, she scooted down, and laid her head on the pillow. That potion must start entering the blood stream before it hits the stomach.

As people started drifting away from Hermione's bed, Lucius Malfoy came storming into the Hospital Wing, with a house elf hot on his heels. "I just heard the crisis has been contained, and the school doesn't need to close." Malfoy was Chairman of the Board of Governors.

"Yes, that is true," said Dumbledore. "One of our students was under the influence of an artifact that has been destroyed. We are still investigating, but the attacks are now over."

"I want a full report on my desk by the end of the week," said Malfoy. "Get me some tea, Dobby." The elf had been polishing Malfoy's shoes. Malfoy was known for conspicuous shows of wealth and importance.

As he walked over to the tea set, Dobby squeaked, "Harry Potter, sir! I am so sorry."

"What are you groveling about, elf?" asked Malfoy.

The elf knelt on the floor, and looked up. "Dobby attempted to prevent Harry Potter from attending Hogwarts. Dobby should not have done that. Dobby was making apology."

Malfoy was livid. "You were outside of my household! On a PERSONAL vendetta! You have brought shame to House Malfoy. As Head of House Malfoy, I release you, Dobby, for your betrayal. May you die a slow and painful death, riven from service!"

Malfoy turned on his heels, and left. The elf had ruined the tirade he had prepared for Dumbledore. The elf was still kneeling, with his forehead touching the floor. Everyone watching was stunned. These things did not happen, especially in public. House elves were fanatically loyal to the House they served. What had this elf done? Before anyone said anything, the elf disappeared.

Harry nudged Ginny to the side. "What did Malfoy mean?" he asked.

"House elves are bound to a wizarding household. They will die, once separated from service. For some reason, they need to be near wizards. I heard Mum talking about it one day in the kitchen. Not many families have house elves, and the available ones are bought and sold among older households. Malfoy will make it known that elf is unworthy of service, and none will accept it. The elf will grow sick, and die, as a free elf."

"That elf didn't do me any favors," said Harry.

While the dust up with Malfoy was going on, Dumbledore was doing some surface memory reading of Hermione's friends. Ron Weasley had visited Gilderoy Lockhart. Albus reviewed the memory of Lockhart leaving the castle. He would have to finish out another year as the DADA instructor. Ginny Weasley had been obliviated! She was an animagus! THE ANIMAGUS of Harry's desire. Harry Potter was involved in the destruction of the diary! He tried to read Harry, and couldn't read any memory at all. Without a more forceful invasion, he would learn nothing, and Albus wasn't willing to do that. Yet. Where had Harry picked up a basilisk fang, and made that weapon? 'Oh Harry, Harry, Harry, what am I to do with you?,' thought Dumbledore.

The next night, Harry was deep under the castle, talking to the snake. _"How were you able to attack Lockhart?"_ he asked.

The snake replied, _"There is a ranking of those protected by Slytherin's enchantments. The highest priority is held by descendents of Salazar Slytherin, followed by descendents of the other founders. Then, students, faculty, visitors, and lastly, pets and familiars. Lockhart attacked students, and was no longer under the protection enchantments."_

_"He wasn't speaking parsel,"_ said Harry. _"How did you know?"_

_"I understand many languages,"_ said the snake. _"I just can not speak them."_

_"Why couldn't you stop that evil git after the compulsion wore off?" _asked Harry.

_"The speaker was a descendent of Slytherin,"_ said the snake.

_"I am leaving for summer holidays soon,"_ said Harry. _"Can I open your access to the Forest?"_

_"Yes"_, said the snake. _"There is a door that opens to parsel commands. The other speaker put the simplest of blood wards on the door. It takes human blood to remove it. I can tell you what to do. Follow me."_

In a short time, the door would open and close in simple parsel commands. He could tell the snake was anxious to hunt.

_"What will you hunt?"_ asked Harry.

_"I am fond of acromantula,"_ replied the reptile. _"They are most satisfying. There should be several, since I have not been out of the castle for so long. Few creatures hunt them."_

_"One last question, before you leave. Do you have a name?"_ asked Harry.

_"Salazar called me Kaasaar,"_ replied the snake, as he left for the Forest.

Hermione was released from the infirmary after a day of rest. The study group was back in session, revising for the end of term exams. Just as the group was breaking up for the night, Harry asked for her to stay behind.

"How are you, Hermione?" he asked.

"I am OK, I think," she said. "Harry, I think I was petrifying students to fake the Horror of the Chamber of Secrets. Every time I had a blackout, something bad would happen. I feel so stupid. I fought so hard, and it didn't matter."

"Dumbledore didn't appear too upset," said Harry. "We are here to learn, after all."

"Oh I learned, Harry. I learned," she said. "If I ever write in something like that again, it will be a book I have enchanted MYSELF," she stated a little louder than she meant to. "The wizard that made that thing was sixteen. He must have been a genius. He taught me quite a bit. We had several good conversations." She paused a bit, and added, "Harry, the book suggested you are an animagus. Is this true?"

Harry thought for a minute. He had worked with Hermione for a couple years. He knew what her insecurities were, and he considered her trustworthy. "Yes, I am," he said. "It is my most closely guarded secret. Please, don't tell anyone."

"I won't. It was a bit of a puzzle for me. When I get started on a question like that, I just can't seem to let it go. Thanks for trusting me, Harry," she said, as she walked away.

Draco Malfoy was awake on his bed. The mudblood Granger had been in the hospital wing, involved in the student attacks. The incident was presented to the students in the Great Hall, to illustrate the dangers of enchanted objects, and to relieve the existing fear of continuing attacks. Granger had been mortified as the story was told. Dumbledore had repeatedly said a second-year student should not be blamed for succumbing to an enchanted object. All of the petrified students had been released, and sent home. Their exams were foregone for the year. None of them had been taking OWL's or NEWT'S this year.

Draco had seen his father place a book in the mess made of Granger's shopping bags as he scuffled Weasley's father. What had the purpose been? Had it been successful? His father hadn't brought up the topic, and Draco wasn't going to either.

Harry hadn't taken Ginny to meet Kaasaar again. The subject didn't come up, and Ginny didn't remember anything about the basilisk. He didn't really have a reason for not telling her about it again. It didn't come up in converstation, and he knew she was uncomfortable with the large snake. Harry went down there on one of the mornings that Ginny slept in. Kaasaar had done well hunting. Young acromantula were in deadly peril.

Harry and Ginny did go for one last run with the unicorns. They made a wide swing on the far side of Hogsmeade on the way back, and Harry probably stayed in riding form too long. Anyway, he heard a child crying in the Forest. They investigated, and found a young boy crying at the base of a tree. Ginny dismounted, and knelt by the youngster. He couldn't have been more than four years old.

"What's wrong with you, little man?" asked Ginny.

The young boy looked up at Ginny, and dove into her arms. "I saw a puppy," wailed the boy, "and I followed him. Mummy told me never to leave the back yard, but I diiiidddd." A bucket of tears followed. "I don't know the way home," the young boy said among the sniffles.

"We will make sure you get home," said Ginny. The young boys eyes grew wide, and he was speechless. Harry was quite a sight. Harry dropped a shoulder, and Ginny put a leg over. Her arms were around the young boy's waist. "Let me know when you see something you remember," she said.

Harry didn't walk too fast, and the boy relaxed. Ginny continued to talk to him. "Make sure you listen to your Mum," she said. "The Forest is no place for someone your age."

"I will," said the boy. "That's my back yard!" he yelled. Ginny dismounted, and put the boy on the ground. He took a few steps, and turned around. Ginny and Harry were no where in sight. They had changed into small cats, and darted into the underbrush. They watched the young one run home, and into the arms of his mother. The boy had a tall tale to tell about "The Cat Lady of the Forest."

Exam week came and left in a blur of cramming and worrying, for many. Exams ended five days before the leaving feast. It was a time for people to relax, visit with friends, or pursue special interests. The professors, of course, had the dubious pleasure of marking the exams of the five years that were not proctored by the Ministry. The results were back the morning of the leaving feast. Everyone had done well, even Goyle and Crabbe passed, so what is to worry about. A couple Ravenclaws had taken top marks in Harry's year, but Harry and Hermione had done well. Harry had been much busier this year, especially the second term, and he hadn't studied nearly as much as last year. Hermione was shaken rather badly by the diary event, or she probably would have taken top marks. They were all looking forward to going home, especially Hermione,

At the leaving feast, Dumbledore wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Slytherin won the House Cup, of course. How could they miss, with Snape being their Head of House? Woe unto the hapless Slytherin that irked Snape enough to take points from his own house. Cunning and ambition had to be good for something. Draco had certainly learned his lesson ... keep your mouth shut, and don't get caught under any circumstances. If Draco did open his mouth, there would be profit.

Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup. Harry never missed the snitch once, the twins were tandem beaters, the chasers were precision in motion, and Wood had a quaffle magnet ... err ... accio charm ... in his hands. They were a good team that enjoyed the game.

The morning saw the loose group on the train in a large compartment. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna had been able to sit together. When they arrived in the station, they said hello to each other's respective guardians and parents. By nightfall, they were all home.


	12. Chapter 12 Others Leave Childhood

Chapter 12 Others Leave Childhood

Harry spent the night with his foster family. There was indeed something therapeutic about going home. Here was welcome, good to see you, so happy you are back, peace and tranquillity. Essence of warm, fuzzy love and security. Harry could not get this in the human world, and he really began to appreciate it. Human beings do not have the ability to actually share emotions and feelings. He woke up well rested, and went out for breakfast with the family. It was buffet, as usual. Rabbit, wood rat, and duck.

Harry greeted the various family members around the breakfast table. Harry had a light snack of juice, sausage, and conversation. Yes, school went well. There was a little trouble with a few petrified students, but it didn't really affect classes. Students were advised to travel in groups. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Harry followed Xavier to the study. At 8:00, Lanta escorted a man to the study. He walked with calm assurance. Xavier made the introductions.

Xavier shook the man's hand, saying, "Sam, I am glad you are free to give me a bit of assistance. This is my ward, Harry Potter. Harry, this is an old friend of mine, Samuel Jones. I met him when I was an auror, twenty-five years ago, before the war starting heating up. He lead a hit wizard team then. He is going to evaluate your training, and co-ordinate instructors for the next two months. I know you have access to Sirius Black's training room during school, so we may be able to continue a reduced schedule there. Let's go to the training room."

Sam and Harry were following Xavier. Sam said, "Xavier tells me you have some talent in hand-to-hand combat. Can I call you Harry?"

"Yes, Sir," replied Harry.

"No calling me Sir, Harry. We are going to be spending quite a bit of time together. Call me Sam. We would be formal in a class room setting, but this will be individual training. No reason to be fussy. Respect will be earned."

"Yes, Sir ... Sam," grinned Harry. He liked what he could feel about this guy.

"Harry," said Xavier, "show Sam where the changing room is."

Sam followed Harry, and both of them evaluated each other as they put on loose clothing that allowed freedom of movement.

The time Harry spent as a cat carried over into his human form. Harry wasn't overly large, but he was well defined, with no fat on him what-so-ever. 'This kid is 12?' thought Sam.

Sam was in his early sixties, but he had the body of a young athlete. He was obviously in good shape, with a few scars scattered here and there.

They walked out into the middle of the training room, and started warming up. Push-ups, sit-ups, stretches, and kicks.

"You ready, Harry?" asked Sam. Harry nodded yes. They started out slow, looking for patterned moves.

'Kid isn't bad,' thought Sam. 'Time to mix it up.' Sam moved in, and the best he could do was a few glancing blows. Suddenly there was a back-fist headed for Sam's head, and he couldn't back up, and he couldn't duck. Sam lifted his shoulder, and took the blow in the outside, upper arm.

'Damn, damn, damn, that kid can hit,' Sam thought. 'Fast too. No more of that. Treat this kid like a black belt.' Sam tried his best to hit Harry, and he never connected a solid blow. Harry wasn't running out of energy. After fifteen minutes, Sam called a halt.

"I am impressed, Harry. You can hold your own. Put some weapons in your hands, and you would be dangerous in close fighting," said Sam. "You just need to learn some attack combinations. If we take you further, I will bring in some experts. How are you with magic?"

"I have mostly done accuracy drills and shield training. We did some dodging exercises with a stinging hex. My Godfather didn't want to risk either of us getting hurt, and needing to explain injuries," said Harry. "I want help with magical attack. I have been working with stupefy, reducto, lacero, and incarcerous. My shields are protego and contego, but we have not tried direct hits."

"Stand over there, and I will see how many hits your protego shield will take from incarcerous," said Sam. He started throwing medium strength spells. Harry's shield was reflecting incarcerous, this way and the other. Harry's shield never failed.

"Are you recasting your shield silently Harry?" asked Sam. He had thrown a dozen spells.

"No, what's wrong?" asked Harry.

"Your shield isn't wearing down," replied Sam. "Most shields last three or four hits, five if it is really strong. I figured you for two, to start with. Protego is good for stupefy also. I am going to try some of those now."

The spells were also reflected. Sam started alternating incarcerous and stupefy with the same results, reflection with no end. Sam was amazed.

"Xavier, let's take a break for tea, and discuss this," said Sam. There was a small table in the corner, by the door. Xavier called for Lanta, and tea for three arrived a few minutes later.

"This is a new one, for me," began Sam. "Harry, do you usually have this much success with shields?"

"I don't have much experience with shields. We just had some demonstrations of protego at school. Sirius has only thrown stupefy at me. He hasn't tried to wear down one of my shields. The other students don't even try to throw tickling or itching jinxes at me. They tend to avoid me, actually," said Harry.

Xavier could see where this discussion was headed, and he spoke up. "I need to ask you for an oath not to discuss this ability with anyone unless you have my permission. This needs to be hidden."

"Sure, I understand completely," said Sam, who gave the oath. "Harry, if this isn't a fluke, and you want to keep this ability hidden, you need to go through the motions of replenishing your shield, even if you don't need to. Dodging is also an option."

A few minutes later, Sam stood up. "Let's see how far this ability extends," he said. "Xavier, I want you to mix up those two spells while we both cast them at Harry."

Harry cast protego, and they started attacking. They each threw a couple dozen spells, and Sam called a halt. "How do you feel?" asked Sam.

"OK, I guess," replied Harry. "How should I feel?"

"A person usually feels a bit of fatigue as their magical energy starts to deplete," explained Sam. "I didn't see any evidence of those spells starting to pass your shield. Let me cast a charm they taught me for battle field medical treatment."

Sam cast the diagnostic charm. Harry noticed that neither one of them had been saying their spells very loudly.

"Xavier, his magical core is still quite strong. Most wizards' reserve power levels would have fallen quite a bit farther. I don't have his rested readings to compare with, but we didn't strain him at all. Harry, I want you to start casting your best stupefy at me."

They stood about fifteen feet apart, and Harry started casting. On Harry's sixth cast, Sam's shield started showing weakness.

"Stop a minute, Harry," he said. "Your spells are nothing unusual. Cast the contego shield, and I will try the same thing with reducto and lacero." The results were identical. The spells were reflected.

"One last test, for today," said Sam. "I want you to cast protego, and then start casting stinging hexes at that target."

Harry could cast at the target, without losing any effectiveness on his shield. The last spell Sam threw was reducto. Protego normally wasn't as effective with reducto, and many times would bleed through. Harry's shield had a perfect reflection.

Sam stopped, and walked over to the corner table. He sat, and poured a cup of tea. "Tomorrow I want to bring over some equipment HW teams use in the field, as well as some more diagnostic equipment," he said. "Harry, as it stands right now, you would be an incredible asset to a HW team, as a shielder. Your team mates could really lay the attack on someone while you were shielding. I will see you tomorrow. I am going to try to get some of the equipment today." They walked him to the apparation point.

"Harry, that's all I have for today," said Xavier. "Go out and enjoy your holiday. I will see you tomorrow, for breakfast."

Harry kneazled, and went over to the Burrow. He could hear Ginny talking to her mother in the kitchen, and Harry walked on in, as Green Eyes had for several years. He jumped up on the bench seat beside her, and laid down. Ginny was telling her mother about the spring term, and how Hermione had been possessed by the diary. Ginny absent mindedly reached down, and scratched him behind the ears. She had been doing it for years, besides, now she knew how good it felt. Harry just laid there, and listened to the conversation. Again, this had been normal behavior for the past several years.

The twins came in from the back yard laughing. George spotted Green Eyes, and his face showed shock, as it dawned on him who was there.

"Har ..!" George started, and then started coughing and hacking to cover up what he almost said. Harry's eyes followed the twins into the kitchen. "Ginny," he continued, after he collected himself, "Come see the new joke we have been working on. You can bring the kitty with you, if you want."

"I've always been impressed by how well behaved that kneazle is," said Molly. "They are great cats in general. Aunt Arabella has had them for years, but that one is especially nice." George started choking again. "George," asked Molly, "What have you been eating that is so dry?"

"It's nothing, Mum," said George. "I swallowed a bug coming in from the back." He went on up to his room. Fred, Ginny, and ... the kitty ... followed. They closed the door, and silenced it. George busted out laughing. "That was so good," he said, "and I can't tell anyone." He broke up laughing again, and it was contagious.

Harry transformed, and laughing said, "You have no idea what people say, when they think no one is around, but a cat. How is your transformation going?"

"Pretty good, we think. Watch," said George. Slowly, George's left arm took on fur, and became a bit thinner. Fred's arm was furry, but not quite so thin.

"It might help if you went to a zoo, and watched some spider monkeys for a while," said Harry. "The zoo in London is sure to have some. I have found it helps me to touch the form I am studying, if possible."

"We have a better idea," said Fred. "We are fifteen this summer. We think we can get summer jobs in town. If nothing else, the stock yards are always looking for a couple willing blokes. We don't have familiars, and we are going to save up for a pair of magical spider monkeys. They have enhanced intelligence, so they are house broke to use the loo. We like the intelligence part, since they could be brilliant for pranks. They aren't popular enough for the Magical Menagerie to carry them, but they will order them for us. We sent an owl to Professor McGonagall, to see if we could get permission to bring them to Hogwarts. We can keep them as long as they don't get into trouble. If we put all of our free money toward them, we can get them in four weeks, five weeks tops. We have saved a bit from some of the jokes we have sold to other students. Our stuff is still pretty tame, but we are working on it. Some of the fireworks are the better sales. Kids like things that go bang.

Sam was back in the morning with the equipment he mentioned the day before. The first item was a standard issue charmed wrist band that monitored the magical reserve and core status of HW team members. In a combat situation, it is essential to know when team members are running out of power, or were no longer using magic, and possibly incapacitated. The team leader has a master bracelet that monitors all team members. Sam was wearing the master, and he gave Harry and Xavier a couple for team members. Sam calibrated the bands to each of their cores. It didn't measure how strong the cores were, but rather they kept watch on how much the cores were depleted.

Sam brought out another charmed object, and strapped it to Harry's waist. He explained what the item would test for as he made several adjustments.

"Harry," he began, " this will measure your magical core's capacity to perform magic. The Ministry developed these a few centuries ago to screen potential aurors. It soon became standard practice for the old families to use these to test their children for magical potential. More than a little bragging was done. These devices are seldom used now, after several children, that had been identified as squibs, later showed average levels of magic."

Xavier spoke up, "The Ministry developed modified scrying spells, tied to the Department of Mysteries and Hogwarts, that identify eleven year old magical children. Children wait, with more than a little anxiety, for their letter of admission. Most magical children have developed their magic by age eleven, but there are still exceptions. Anyway, these scrying spells started identifying muggleborn wizards, and many of the old families tried to stop Hogwarts from contacting muggleborn. Muggleborn accidental magic sometimes caused enough attention that the Ministry became involved. Otherwise, many muggleborn wizards were not found, and trained, before the searching spell was put in service."

"Many muggleborn were killed by muggles claiming they were possessed by demons. Their religion stated that all witches and wizards are possessed by demons. Religion is a very sticky issue, even among the wizards. The Wizengamut finally decided it was safer for the wizarding world to continue identifying all wizards, and the Ministry scrying system continues to this day," said Sam, as he finished calibrating the device.

"What can you tell me about religion?" asked Harry. "I have heard people talk about God, Gods, and Goddesses. It all seems awfully confusing."

"It is," replied Xavier. "Maybe we can discuss it some during break. It is a complicated subject."

"I am ready, Harry," said Sam. "When I say start, I want you to cast Lumos, and hold it until I tell you to stop." He waited a few moments, and said, "Begin."

After about five minutes, Sam said, "Stop. Now I want you to cast stupefy at that target, and hold it as long as you can. Begin."

Harry held the spell for a little over a minute. "One last spell, Harry. Cast Protego. While you are holding the shield, I want Xavier to cast stupefy and Incarcerous, alternating between the two, until I say stop. Begin Harry." After a few moments, he said, "Begin, Xavier."

After about ten minutes, Sam said, "Xavier, stop now. Good. Harry, cancel your shield. Let's discuss this over tea." He removed the device from Harry's waist.

Lanta had a tea service with biscuits on the corner table. After Harry sat down, and filled his cup, he asked, "What did you find out?"

"You are in the top 2 percent of the wizarding world, as far as core power goes. Of the approximate thirty-five thousand wizards in Great Britain, there are seven hundred people as strong, or stronger, than you. A person like Dumbledore is nearly in a class by himself, since there is likely only about a dozen people in the entire world as strong, or stronger, than him. Couple that with his incredible intelligence, and Dumbledore is a force to be reckoned with."

He continued, after a pause. "The oddity about you, Harry, is that your shield is very efficient, and draws only a small amount of power from your core, which your core is easily able to maintain, about as easily as the average person maintains Lumos. I have never heard of this phenomenon before, even though it isn't unusual for wizards to be talented in certain areas. Most wizards can cast Lumos while holding a shield, since Lumos doesn't affect a shield. Yesterday, you were able to cast the stinging hex while your shield was active, and it didn't degrade your shield. I don't know if you are making a small hole in your shield for your hex to pass through, or if you are turning off your shield temporarily. Only the most experienced of fighters can cast offensively while shielding, and there is more than one way to do it. For our purposes this summer, I want to concentrate on several shields. A good shield defense is an essential foundation. You may not be the most powerful offensive wizard, but you are no light weight. You are familiar with protego and contego. There are shield spells specific to certain offensive spells that allow one to deflect, or even redirect, those cast spells at other locations. One can even return those spells at the original caster, under certain conditions, followed by a spell of your own choosing. This makes you potentially rather formidable, as a fighter. You can maintain a shield while casting offensively. You just have to watch that band on your wrist, so you don't exhaust yourself."

After a bit more light conversation on defense techniques, Sam brought Harry out into the middle of the room, and taught him a new spell. "Harry, this shield, fruego, is very specific to stupefy, and moderately successful with a few others. I want you to start this exercise by simply trying to bat the spell away from you. This spell is essentially a hand held mirror. If you miss the cast spell, you will know it."

Harry worked with Sam on weekdays, and Xavier had no other duties, or chores, for him. Xavier knew that Harry was motivated to learn, but he didn't spend every waking moment doing it. Harry perfected the flying form at Hogwarts, and spent a little time flying every night, as a rather small cat. He told Xavier that McGonagall had helped him finish the flying form, and he hoped to spend a weekend with her in upper Scotland. He also told him the twins, Ginny, and Hermione knew of his kneazle animagus form. Xavier reminded him that, while it was Harry's secret to tell, the fewer people who knew about that ability, the better.

One night, after supper, Harry asked Xavier about religion. "Xavier, you mentioned religion was a complicated subject. What can you tell me about it?" asked Harry.

"Religion," began Xavier, "is complicated because it describes morality, what is right and wrong, and why. It also describes our individual relationship to all living things and our existence after death. Everyone has a religion ... what they think is proper behavior. While people may be of similar views, no two people are exactly the same. All legal systems are founded upon morality, or religion. Let me give you some examples."

Followers of the Light believe that death is just the "Next Great Adventure". We continue to exist, and that continued existence is affected by what we do during this life. Followers of the Light believe there are conditions of existence much worse than death. All creatures, great and small, should be able to live their life to the fullest, as long as it doesn't impact adversely upon another.

Dark wizards tend to believe that there is only power, and the ability to use it how one wishes, at the expense of others. Death is the end of existence, and life has no other meaning that what we are able to grab for ourselves.

"The Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions state that God, the Creator, personally gave a Book of Rules to a man name Moses. The Book of Rules stated that people shall not lie, steal, murder, worship false Gods, and so forth. If a person didn't follow the rules during life, then they would suffer in the afterlife. The Christian and Islamic religion developed from the Jewish religion, and they are very similar. There are several stories of heroes who worked for God to destroy enemies of the people who follow the rules.

"The Book of Rules for the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religion was expanded, over time, and proscribed that their legal system will not suffer a witch to live, with mention of sorcerers as well, because they are evil. They were required to execute witches and wizards, and they wrote their legal system accordingly. In fact, when those rules were written, 'witchcraft' and 'sorcerer' were words used to describe the people we call Dark, users of Black Magic. People using Light Magic and Potion Craft were known as healers, if they were known at all. During the same time period, we executed dark wizards also. We now give them life terms in Azkaban. The word, witch, is part of the problem. It focuses on ability, rather than behavior. They make the assumption all witches are evil."

"The wizarding world tends to do the same thing, when they group spells in categories of light and dark. A spell is neither light, nor dark, since light and dark describe the behavior of people. Using the avada kedavra spell is an automatic life term in Azkaban, but Reducto is not, as if Reducto is not just as dangerous. The only difference in those two spells is that reducto MIGHT be stopped by a shield. In reality, one only throws Reducto at a person they want to kill. Catastrophic destruction of body tissue tends to do that. We can use Reducto in training, with controlled conditions, but not in Diagon Alley, for example, where a reflected spell can, and will, kill unintended victims. That is why aurors, almost universally, use stupefy. It can actually be safer for a Hit Wizard team to use the Avada Kedavra at point blank range, since it can't be reflected, or stopped. You are the only known person to reflect the AK. What happened to you, as a child, is a guess, at best. There were no witnesses, just evidence the AK was used."

"Anyway, religion profoundly affects legal systems, in general terms. The major world religions are: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Even though we hide from muggles, there are wizards in those major religions. Some of the wizarding world still has ties to the Druids. Others profess no standardized religion. There are many simpler religions that follow similar concepts of morality. They all maintain rules stating what a person must do, should do, and can not do, to live a better life today, and have a desired existence after death, whether it be Heaven or Valhalla. Most of the day-to-day rules are the same."

"The International Confederation of Warlocks' Statue of Secrecy was enacted to protect the wizarding world from the muggle world's insistence that all witches and wizards be executed. They outnumber us 5,000 to 1, and they have persecuted and murdered witches and wizards for years. A favored form of execution has been the burning of wizards at the stake. The Wizengamut has investigated several muggle religions, from time to time, since the middle ages. Officially, they believe anyone performing witchcraft is under the influence of demons. There have, in fact, been instances of demon possession in the past. In those cases, the muggle world has suffered tremendously. Recently, Voldemort tortured and murdered muggles indiscriminately. There are valid reasons for the muggle world to fear some wizards, but not all wizards. Muggles tend to lump us all together, as dangerous, which we are, I suppose. Eleven year olds carry the deadliest of weapons. That doesn't make us evil. Strangely enough, in the past, Aurors working for the Wizengamut have found a few leaders of those major groups that were evil, and we had to take measures to nullify their influence. There are good and evil individuals among all cultures."

"To make a long story short, Harry, religion and legal systems are closely tied. There are many arguments over how God or Gods are described, what the expected behavior is, and what the penalties are for improper behavior. Some argue Gods do not exist, or if they do, they care not what humanity does, and there are no restrictions to human behavior. Individual members of the Powers That Be tend to get identified as Gods, not that they identify themselves as such. People tend to take religion, their way of life, very seriously. Everyone has a way of life, what they think is right and wrong. Have I bored you?"

"No," replied Harry, with a doubtful expression. "What do you believe?"

"Harry," Xavier replied, "I have seen glimpses of my future, not that those glimpses were significant. I have seen enough to suspect life is not accidental. After a careful study of history, I believe the Powers That Be watch over our world. The Powers That Be are supervised by The Creator. Sentient beings have free will, with the ability to choose, and the requirement to choose. Choosing to do nothing, is a choice. We do not have the ability to control a great number of the events from which we must choose. Everyone is tested, based upon our belief of what is right and wrong, and when we die, we are judged accordingly, regardless of culture, law, and religion. We do not all get the same tests of character. Some people are tested to the edge of their endurance, while others appear to live a care free life. Regardless, everyone ALWAYS does what they want to, without exception. We may prefer we had different options to choose from, but we all do what we want to do. We all LIVE what we believe. We all may speculate on what we believe, but to find out what we believe, we just need to look at what we DO in our daily life, and why. What will we REALLY do, if we think no one is looking? Will we do what is right, what is easy, or what feels good? The choices I make in how I live my life, every day, reflects who I am. Whether I live, or die, of itself, is not important. If those choices lead to the death of this body, so be it. Dead, or alive, I remain who I am. We are all immortal, unless we become someone to warrant extermination. Is this confusing?"

"No," replied Harry, "I am not sure all of it makes sense, but if I have more questions, I will let you know."

"That is OK, Harry," said Xavier. "If you ever really want your head to hurt, I will talk about how many different people assume the condition of their existence after death, based upon their professed religious affiliation. Anything else?"

"Dumbledore still acts strange around me," said Harry. "I can sense his ... anxiety."

"You are the only wizard known to have survived the AK Voldemort was so fond of using to murder people. You have been put on something of a pedestal, in our world. I think Dumbledore is worried you will break a law in the wizarding world that you do not know about, since you did not grow up in the human world, wizard or muggle. One might say that you grew up under 'The Law of the Forest,' where life can be necessarily brutal. That is eat, or be eaten, so to speak, and protect one's own territory. Laws in the wizarding world are not so simple. The penalty for breaking wizard law can be very severe, resulting if forfeiture of magic, freedom, or life. Specifically, he is afraid you will kill someone without sufficient reason under Wizengamut law, which then becomes murder. Since you are such a popular icon in the wizarding world, they would make an example of you, if you break a serious law. You scared Dumbledore badly, with Quirrell. He also appears worried you will walk away from the wizarding world, and return to the world of kneazles. What I do not understand, is why he places so much importance in you, specifically. Wizards more powerful than you drop out of the wizarding world all of the time. Nicolas and Perennelle Flamel are notable examples of powerful wizards that have virtually disappeared, and there are many others, as well. Anyway, when do you want to visit your Professor McGonagall?"

"Next weekend," said Harry, "if it all works out."

The week flew by very quickly. Harry worked with Sam and/or Xavier every day for two or three hours. Sam dedicated the training to shielding and countering spells, since defense is a skill second to none, in combat. Harry was very good defensively, in hand-to-hand and magical combat. He had not yet exposed Harry to the various weapons. The wizarding world was partial to using wands to fight with, but they were not strangers to the medieval knives, swords, and arrows. Wizards were familiar with the muskats and canon of the maritime wars. They had been exposed to the muggle bombs and artillery of Grindewalde's war. Shields and wards could be used against large, fast moving objects, like bullets, bombs, and artillery shells. Slower and smaller moving objects, like knives, swords, and some arrows, were difficult to magically shield. Standard armor could blunt many of those attacks.

Friday afternoon arrived, and Harry was ready to visit McGonagall Castle. He enjoyed working with the Professor. He took the floo to the specially warded receiving hall of the castle, where McGonagall was waiting for him.

"Harry," she said, as he exited the floo, "I am happy you could come. Leave your things there, they will be safe. After supper, we will portkey to the cabin we will be staying at for the weekend. There is a stream flowing out of the mountains into a small lake. It is remote enough that we won't be bothered by visitors."

She showed Harry the main parts of the castle and the immediate grounds, talking about various tidbits of history as she walked. Later, they had an informal supper with the Professor's uncle, Morgan McGonagall, and a few family members. Morgan told several stories about the castle's history during the meal. Minerva and Harry left for the cabin about an hour later. Magic can make travel very easy.

"Harry," said the Professor, "You can put your things in the east bedroom. I always spend a portion of my summer holidays here. It is very relaxing. I try to spend a little time with my children and grandchildren here, as well. There is still a bit of daylight left. Would you care for a flight down by the lake?"

"Yeah," replied Harry. "That would be brilliant."

They walked out on the porch, transformed, and took wing. They followed a babbling brook down the hill to the small lake. They landed in a large tree, and scanned the area. It was beautiful, with virtually no hint of human contact. They took wing again, and flew from place to place for about half an hour. The professor was tiring, and she walked for a while, in cat form. Then, she made the human transformation, and so did Harry.

"Harry, I really enjoyed that," she said, "but I don't use my flight muscles very often. It is odd how those structures do not exist in my natural form, but they get stronger if transform often, and exercise them. I don't think the South American flying cats are known for long flights either. They are very effective hunters, and usually stay in higher, more remote areas. The only drawback, for me, is their lack of conversational skills." They were walking in the general direction of the cabin.

"Kneazles don't have deep conversations," said Harry, "but they do get their ideas transferred pretty well. They don't have to rely on sounds and gestures alone."

They sat on a large rock for a while, and Harry continued. "I have only made short flights at night at home. I have not been much higher than the tallest trees. I tried to copy your wings. Have you ever modified the length of your wings, or feathers?" Harry asked.

"I copied the South American cats as closely as I could, and then tried some longer wings. The longer wings took more strength to get up to speed, and I couldn't flap them as fast. I think the South Americans are built for quick flights with tight turns. I saw a couple of them on attack runs, and I am not that good. Of course, I don't have to hunt, to eat," she replied. "I tried the larger form, and I couldn't get off of the ground. I could glide from a higher spot to a lower one. Have you ever tried the larger form?"

"No," said Harry. "I don't dare be seen at Ottery St. Catchpole."

"That is one of the reasons I was hoping you could come this summer," said McGonagall. "We are pretty remote up here. You could try some different sizes for your transformation, if you want to. I don't get a chance to teach the animagus transformation very often. I haven't had many students express an interest after they found out how much work it takes to actually make the first transformation. You were already an animagus when I met you. It is most enjoyable to explore the possibilities with a person of your abilities."

"I can't imagine having only one form now. I like being in the woods, and humans are not well suited to the forest. I like flying a broom for the team, and it is absolutely great to fly with my own wings." They were nearly back to the cabin, and Harry was looking through the trees toward the lake. "I like learning magic, as a human, but it is also fun working on my transformations. I especially like the partial transformations, like the kneazle with a human hand. People can do a lot more with hands than I ever could with paws. Still, no human can climb trees like a cat can. No creature is better suited for the forest, than a cat."

"Harry," said McGonagall, "I am going in for a while. I have had a long day, and I am not accustomed to flying very far. I am going to sleep. Feel free to explore a bit, I know you won't get lost, and there are not any known hazards around here that you are not familiar with. I will see you in the morning."

"Good night, Professor," said Harry. He took kneazle form, and ran to the cliffs on the far side of the lake, and laid down. He thought about how thrilled the Professor would be if she knew that three more of her students were also working with the animagi transformation. He wanted to work some more with wings. He couldn't think of a form he liked better than cat, especially with the ability to make wings. He had to get more experience positioning his tail and legs during flight, for better maneuverability while flying. Flying straight from one place to another was easy.

Harry tried a kneazle sized flying form, and he could feel the extra weight. His weight grew faster with increased size than his increased wing size could lift. He was a lot stronger than the Professor, but given a choice, he would not pick the larger form over the smaller one, for flying. It took too much energy. He could fly fairly fast, with his small version, and he could fly a long time. He still had the strength and stamina of the kneazle. He was having a great time using a combination of jumps and short flights, moving from tree to tree. After a couple hours, he went to the cabin, where he found the tabby cat sleeping by the unlit hearth. Harry found a good spot on the other side of the hearth, and went to sleep. The tabby cat looked up, appeared to smile, and went back to sleep.

Harry awoke to the smell of eggs frying, and toast in the oven. "Good morning, Harry," said the Professor. "Would you like to hunt, or would you care for eggs and ham. I find that I am fond of my toast and jam."

"Eggs and ham are fine. I am not very particular about what I eat. I tried my kneazle size for flying last night. I could fly, but the smaller form is much better," said Harry.

"I know what you mean," said the Prof. "You have all of the abilities of the kneazles, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. I can't really remember not having them," replied Harry.

"I can take the form and color of a kneazle," said the Professor, "but I don't have the magical abilities. You are the only one I am aware of, and you made a spontaneous transformation. You are much stronger than I am. Many wizards would try to take the form of a phoenix, if we could also have their magical ability. Taking the form of normal animals does not appeal to most in the wizarding world. How fast are you?"

"I am nearly as fast as Father. I have no idea exactly how fast that is," replied Harry. "Most of that ability carries over into my human form. My friends are not nearly as strong as I am."

"I am very pleased you do not use that ability to intimidate your classmates. Can you imagine Crabbe and Goyle, with your abilities?" asked McGonagall.

"There is no reason to do such a thing," said Harry. "There is enough pain in the world, with out me adding to it. I can, and will, defend myself and others. I would rather use my talents for healing."

"Which magical animals have you worked with?" asked the Prof. "I know you spend a lot of time with Hagrid."

"I have worked with thestrals, dragons, and unicorns," replied Harry. "Unicorns are very much like kneazles. Dragons and thestrals shouldn't be able to fly like they do, except that they appear to be able to make themselves lighter. Dragons throw a good flame, for attack and defense. I don't know much about other magical animals. What is known about magical animals, Professor?"

"We know what they do," replied the Prof., "but we don't really know how they do what they do."

"I don't do anything differently, as a human, or a kneazle," said Harry. "If the ability is magical, then the kneazle magic is active all of the time."

"How did you discover Pettigrew was Mr. Weasley's rat?" asked McGonagall.

"I first noticed he didn't act like a normal rat," replied Harry. "I know rats. Ron said his rat wasn't magical, but I could sense that he was. When I visited with you, and you transformed into your cat for me, I could tell you weren't a real cat. Most people probably wouldn't notice the difference, but I am a cat. You are a human, acting like a cat. There is a difference. Also, your emotions flow differently. They are more human, than cat. After I thought about that for a while, it occurred to me the rat might be doing the same thing, and I went to the Headmaster. It didn't make any sense to me, that a person would want to be a rat. I mean, who would want to be food. I let the Headmaster sort it out. He knew about my life as a kneazle. A kneazle knows rat behavior. Kneazles can sense emotions, especially the strong ones, and the rat's emotions were too complex. The rat just wasn't normal."

"Are you implying that magical animals perform certain magical skills naturally, similar to wandless magic?" asked the Prof.

"I don't know much about wandless magic," said Harry, "but I don't do anything differently, whether I am human, or kneazle. My senses are a bit different. My kneazle nose is more sensitive than the human one. My night vision is much better as a kneazle, than human. Hearing is better, as a kneazle. In fact, the only thing I do better as a human, is pick up things with my hands. I can communicate with kneazles, as a human. I would stay in kneazle form, if I could study magic as a kneazle. I need the wand and my voice. Can you do wandless magic, Professor?"

"I can accio light objects, like parchment, my quills, and my wand. I need my wand to Accio an ink bottle. Are you suggesting I can accio a piece of parchment in my cat form?" asked McGonagall.

"It would be worth a try," replied Harry. He was thinking about his shield spells. He would have to try some of his shields with Xavier as a cat.

"Let's go to the lake," said McGonagall. "I want to try some leaves." She transformed, and ran out the door. She passed several trees, of course, but she didn't stop until she came to one of her favorite spots on the lake shore. She was staring at some leaves near the edge. One rose from the ground, and came to her paw. She transformed back. "I don't know that wandless magic has ever been tried while in animagus form. This is just amazing. This needs investigation. The Ministry would restrict this knowledge. Oh, Harry. I need a cup of tea." She started walking back to the cabin, with Harry close to her heels.

Harry watched McGonagall while she made tea the muggle method. He could sense her widespread emotions, and making the tea was a calming influence. Presently, she poured two cups.

"If you were to pick a few spells to cast as a kneazle, which ones would they be?" she asked.

"Stupefy, protego, and wingardium leviosar, to start with. I would also like to be able to levitate myself, to make myself lighter. I could jump farther and run faster. I could fly with a larger form," said Harry. 'Maybe I could carry Ginny better,' thought Harry. I hadn't occurred to him he might be able to fly with her, like the Pegasi, or Thestrals.

"I think we have a new animagus project, Harry," said McGonagall. "This never would have occurred to me if I hadn't met you. Wandless magic in the animagus transformation." As they finished their tea in silence, the Professor thought to herself, ' I have never taken an apprentice, but if I ever do, this will be the one.' Suddenly, she stood up and said, "Let's go for a flight, Harry. I need to burn up some energy." And off they went.

After supper, they walked out on the porch. They had given their muscles a workout. Harry showed her what he was doing, combining the jumping from one tree to another with short bursts of flight. The Professor had not remotely tried to keep up with Harry, but in a much more sedate way, she had had a lot of fun as well.

As they sat, watching the moon over the lake, McGonagall said, "Harry, you remind me of my grandchildren. I taught many of them at Hogwarts. One of my great-grandchildren is a fourth year Ravenclaw now. She is the oldest of the greats. Few know that she is my grand child, as we don't have the same name, and we have never drawn attention to ourselves. She occasionally stops for a visit. She is much closer to her grandmother, my daughter Mary."

"Have animagi ever had children in their animagus form?" asked Harry. "Children seems like a distant idea, but I thought I would ask."

"While a person appears to be the animal of their transformation, their cellular genetics stays human. You appear to be kneazle in every way, but you are actually human. Wizards know of the work of the monk named Gregor Mendel. Some of the humanoid races have crossed, like the giants and the veela, as well as the dwarves, elves, and goblins, but I have not heard of a human cross with a non-humanoid," explained McGonagall. "Have you given the idea much thought? Magic can do odd things with genes."

"No, not really," replied Harry. "You brought up your children, and Xavier thinks the Headmaster is worried I will leave the human world altogether for the kneazles. I have never given any thought to the idea of a mate."

"A great many of us meet our future spouse at school, Harry," said the Professor. "Students have seven years of close interaction. That is how I met my husband, and we were married right out of school. I took my Mastery after my youngest child went to Hogwarts. I am going to go to sleep. I haven't used these old muscles like this in a long time. Good night, I will see you for breakfast."

"Goodnight," replied Harry. He wasn't as tired, so he went back to the cliffs over the lake. He started thinking about wandless magic. He thought he would try levitation first, since the spell would be internal. It would be similar to what the thestrals do. He wondered if it would help him learn, if he rode a thestral. There were a couple he had worked with that would probably let him ride. He might discuss the possibility with Hagrid, since he knew the herd rather well. He thought protego and contego might already be functional. Stupefy might be an interesting spell. Who would expect a kneazle to stupefy them? Then, there was reducto. Most people didn't pay much attention to a cat, anyway. He got up, and took off through the woods again, tree to tree. Yes, levitation might be fun.

Harry awoke again to the smell of eggs and toast. "Morning, Professor," said Harry, as he walked into the kitchen area. "Sleep well?"

"Yes I did," replied McGonagall. "I didn't hear you come in last night. I was in deep sleep."

"What sort of wandless magic will you try?" asked Harry. "I am going to try both internal and external levitation."

"I am also," replied the Professor. "That could be so useful, in so many ways, if I could perfect it in both human and cat form. Especially when these bones get older."

"You're not even middle-aged yet, are you?" grinned Harry. "Don't most wizards live 175 years?"

"A great many of us do," replied McGonagall, "but one never knows. Our life span is one reason there are as many of us as there are. Dark lords, down through the years, have thinned us out some. Grindewalde and Voldemort killed far too many, in Europe. A few of us have lived far longer than 175. What do you want to do, before we leave?"

"Nothing special," said Harry. "How would you like to walk around the lake as a large cat? Try to be as large as you can be."

"OK," she replied. "Let's go."

And off they went. They rather enjoyed themselves, doing not much of anything in particular. They had a late lunch, packed the few belongings they had, and portkeyed back to McGonagall Castle. They wished each other as safe and happy holiday, as Harry reached for the floo powder to take him home.

He let Lanta know he was back home. Xavier was out. Harry kneazled, and visited with his family for a while. It was dark when he arrived at the Burrow. He gave Ginny a brief summary of his weekend at McGonagall castle, but he couldn't tell her everything. Harry had secrets all over the place. There was no single person who knew everything about him, and what he was doing.

"Ginny," he began, "have you thought any more about telling someone else about your animagus ability? I know I have ended up telling more people than I originally planned, but telling those people has really worked out great. How could I have ever have guessed that when Dobby bound me, I would end up working with McGonagall on the animagus transformation. She really helped me make the flying form."

"It's too early," said Ginny. "I am way too young to be doing magic like that without Mum knowing, and she would never let it happen. I am supposed to be in pigtails, learning to be a home maker. I can't officially learn to be an animagus, or how to protect myself, because teachers need parental permission for any formal training. Sirius, McGonagall, or Xavier could get in a bind if Mum blew her chimney."

"Maybe we can figure out a place where I can teach you some of what I am learning," said Harry. "Maybe the twins know somewhere."

"There is no hurry, Harry," said Ginny. "I know you will teach me when you get a chance. I just can't risk Mum knowing. She wouldn't let me out of her sight." Harry spent some time with her and the twins, and went home around 11:00.

Monday morning brought training with Sam. Sam was very pleased with Harry's defensive charms. There was only one more thing he wanted to add to Harry's training schedule this summer. Most wizards tried to stay as far away from others they were fighting as they could, and still reasonably hit their target. Maybe their opponent would miss more often than they themselves did. Harry could depend on his shield, so he had Harry working closer to his opponent all the time, which improved Harry's accuracy with both reflected and cast spells. He gave Harry a short paint stick that Harry was supposed to touch his opponent with if he got close enough. Harry didn't get anything new from Sam the rest of the summer. Harry had developed a fairly good list of curses to counter. Once in a while Sirius would come over, and they would do a little three on one.

Harry started slipping in wandless shields during training. He planned to have Xavier attack him in his kneazle form, without informing Sirius or Sam. Xavier was the person he went to first, when ever possible. Sam and Sirius were did not train with Harry every week day, so it wasn't difficult for Harry to find a time to test his shields. Harry had no idea his shields were essentially instinctive. Harry hadn't had much opportunity to get hexed. He didn't play "Grab Ass" with his classmates, like so many teens do. Students left The Boy Who Lived alone, especially after the parseltongue event. The only reason Dobby had been so successful, was that the elven magic was so different from anything he had been exposed to before, and he hadn't had enough exposure. What Harry didn't know, didn't hurt him any. It didn't help, either, but Harry had no way of knowing the direction he could have taken his training.

"Xavier," asked Harry, "would you throw some stupefy and Reducto at me in kneazle form? I want to try shields in that form." Harry kneazled, and walked to the center of the room.

"OK, if you are sure," replied Xavier. "I will start with stupefy, since it doesn't hurt so badly if it gets through." He cast, and the spell was reflected. He tried a few more, and they were reflected as well. "Break time, Harry."

They walked over to the corner table, where Lanta had tea and biscuits. Harry poured for both of them, and sat down.

"Harry, how long have you been able to do that?" asked Xavier.

"I never tried before this week. Professor McGonagall and I planned to try some wandless magic in animagus form, and I thought I would try shields with you," said Harry. "I plan to try stupefy, reducto, and wingardium leviosar as well. I would like a minimum set of spells available in kneazle form. The Professor is very excited about it, and doesn't want to let the Ministry know yet. She may not tell anyone. She thinks the Ministry will react badly. I wanted you to test me, under attack."

"I can see her reason for keeping quiet while she is testing the theory," said Xavier. "The Ministry would want to squash this quickly, not that there are many people that care to learn wandless magic. The Ministry prefers wanded magic, since they use wands to track the use of magic, as well as provide proof of criminal behavior. Many of the wizards capable of more than a few simple wandless spells, are dark ... having a desire to hide what they are doing. Dumbledore is the only one I am aware of that practices any significant wandless magic. There must be more, but I don't know them."

As the twins predicted, they had enough money to pick up their monkeys about five weeks into summer holiday. The weekend arrived, and the twins were on their way to get them. Molly, Harry, Ginny, and Ron went with them. Ron went to Quality Quidditch Supplies right away. He wasn't thrilled with the pet shop. They went straight to the clerk, and told them they were here to pick up their order.

The proprietor came out of the back room with a fairly large cage, and motioned over. "These are new on the market," he began. "They are nearly full grown, and they come with a charm to bind them to you, so they don't run away. Are you boys getting one each?" The monkeys looked terrified.

"Yeah," said Fred. "I am getting the girl, and George there is getting the boy."

"Take this training medallion, then," he said, "and you take this one. Repeat after me."

They did, and the young monkeys calmed down a bit. They each came forward, and put a hand through the cage. Fred and George couldn't get the smiles off of their faces.

The owner continued, "They come with the cage, care and feeding instructions, and a few treats. These are tropical creatures, and you will have to take care that they stay warm. Anything you need in order to keep warm, they need also. Come back here if you have any questions."

The monkeys and the twins were inseparable. If the twins were going somewhere, the monkeys were riding on their shoulders. The brochure had been correct. These spider monkeys were very intelligent. It appeared they were learning English, and were starting to respond to verbal information the twins would give them. They were also starting to give hand and face gestures to the twins, using a crude sign language. The monkeys were teaching the twins!

Ginny helped the twins make clothes for the little ones. They were dressed identically, regardless of gender. The average person may not have been able to tell which one was the girl, or the boy, when they were dressed, but the twins could. One day soon, the twins were going to have to name them, but they had mixed opinions about names. In the mean time, they called them 'girl' or 'boy', with quite a bit of affection.

Green Eyes was over at the Burrow irregularly, but often. Luna was a regular visitor, as well. The girls spent a lot of time out by the pond, and it wasn't uncommon for Green Eyes to find them there. Green Eyes was lounging at Ginny's feet, when Luna said, "Harry, why don't you join us?"

Ginny looked up quickly, and said, "Luna, what do you mean?"

"I've known for a long time Green Eyes wasn't a simple kneazle. I didn't really know Harry until I started at Hogwarts. It took me a little time to put the clues together. Oh, don't worry, there are not many people with my varied background. The Lovegoods have always been on the edge of the wizarding world. I have Elven blood, but not enough to point my ears. You probably won't find a species of sentient bipeds that isn't in the Lovegood family tree somewhere. Who knows, maybe some that aren't biped. Mum was mostly human, but Dad is something else. I don't talk about it much, if at all. You two seem safe."

"Safe for what?" asked Ginny.

"You won't treat me badly. The wizarding world usually treats mixed-bloods with contempt," said Luna. "Many in Ravenclaw Tower tease me, and they don't know the half of it. Look at how they treat muggleborn."

"I don't have a problem with it," said Ginny.

"Neither do I," said Harry.

"I am just starting to get good at seeing the animal magic. The animal magic is a part of you now, Ginny. What kind of animal are you? " asked Luna.

"I am a kitty, for a little over a year now. I think it's great," replied Ginny.

"I should be able to be a cat," said Luna. "I will never be as good as Grandpa, but I will try for cat. Can I see?"

Ginny transformed into her tiger house cat. "I should be able to come close to that, in a couple weeks," said Luna. "Thanks for showing me." Ginny changed back, and looked at Harry. He just nodded and grinned. Ginny returned to her sketch. Harry curled up at Ginny's feet. Luna sat back with a smile on her face, and a distant look in her eyes.

Harry trained hard during August, casting and shielding simultaneously. He had no success with wandless levitation, but he was able to find a large tree in a secluded part of the woods around Ottery St. Catchpole to jump in. He enjoyed the time with his family, and his friendship with Ginny. Luna visited frequently, and she had success with the form of a tiger house cat. Ginny marveled at how fast Luna had learned the transformation. Luna reminded her that she was ... mostly ... human. There was going to be another night time prowler at Hogwarts.

Malfoy Manor was quiet. Draco's father, Lucius, had told him it was time for him to prepare himself to enter the family business. It would take several years. Draco was studying history. Malfoy history. The Malfoys had made their fortune during the height of English shipping power. There were many commodities in great demand. Spice, tea, tobacco, slaves, rum, gold, cotton and finished goods, to name a few. Later there had been many additional items, such as rubber, oil, and metals. They were into weapons as well. If it could be shipped, Malfoy owned companies transported it. A great deal of their wealth ultimately came from muggles. He was reading through the diaries and logs of five centuries of Malfoy patriarchs. They treated muggles much the same way as other manor owners treated the sheep they took the wool from. They fleeced the wool, and sent the sheep back out happy to graze. It was little wonder the patriarchs held the muggles in such low regard.

Two or three centuries ago, the Malfoys had gotten deeply into politics. It seemed it was better to stay on the sidelines, to manipulate politicians, rather than get involved in day to day operation. Regardless of who was in power, politicians followed the money. If a person wanted to really find out what was happening, all they had to do was follow the money.

Draco was amazed at the number of marriages involved in the consolidation of power and the flow of money used to generate that power. Magic was used to guarantee contracts and agreements, but magic itself was not the key to gaining, and keeping, power. Occasionally, magic was used for assassination and coercion, with some of the darkest objects one can imagine.

Draco could barely wrap his head around the most stunning surprise. The wizarding world's most powerful magical people did not necessarily come from the pureblood aristocracy that ran the wizarding world. The old families made sure they controlled what the most powerfully magical people were doing. The most powerfully magical people rarely wanted to leave their libraries and laboratories. The old families kept them supplied, and happy. Grindewalde had been a loose canon, and had caused way too much damage. If Grindewalde was a loose canon, what was Voldemort? The logs and diaries of his grandfathers and great-grandfathers were mind numbing. Where did this put the mudbloods, like Granger? Blood purity was a fabrication of politics. Mudbloods came from 'sheep', but they were 'magical sheep'. They were useful in their own right, as long as they weren't allowed in a position of power, for example, in the Ministry.

The old families enjoyed their money and prestige, but their day to day reality could be brutal. Truth was, only a few Heads of House were actually in charge. To cross the ones in charge, was to place one's life, and their family's lives, in immediate peril. Money was the grease that kept everything moving. Centers of education, like Hogwarts and Durmstrang, kept everything moving in the correct direction. No wonder Father was on the Board of Governors.

The Grindewalde War had started a major power play that upset everything. Most of the old families, the Malfoys, the Potters, the Blacks, and the Longbottoms had been decimated. The Parkinsons, Zabinis, and Averys were not much better off. Grindewalde had involved muggles, and those muggles had incredible weapons of destruction. A simple storm on the open ocean would not destroy their power base, like the Spanish Armada had been eliminated. Grindewalde had rained death from the sky, especially in London, the base of operations for the old families. Muggles shared information much quicker than before. The 'sheep' were becoming very dangerous.

Voldemort, a fresh young lieutenant of Grindewalde, fomented another war that had nearly finished the routing of the old families. Where did this put Draco? Where, indeed, did this put Draco? He had much more reading to do.

Hermione had been devastated by the book's possession. She spent the summer traveling with her parents, visiting with relatives, and sorting out what had happened to her. She had spent the entire summer recovering. Her parents wanted her to withdraw from Hogwarts, but she convinced them she needed to go to Hogwarts. She was magical, and her magic would express itself, whether she was trained, or not. It was better for her if she could control it. She didn't say anything about the possibility of being squibbed.

Hermione told them that what happened to her was an unusual event. She did not tell her parents how the book had talked with her ... how it had trained her. She had not told anyone. Hermione was beginning to remember a lot more of her 'black out' periods, and more of the conversations she had with Tom Riddle, while under the influence of the book. She NEEDED to find out how the book attacked her, and what it had done to her. She was going to find out. One thing was certain. The book had changed her. Academic excellence, while still important, was no longer her driven goal. The damned bloody book had tried to kill her. And then, there was the enigma of Harry Potter.

The twins were having more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I suppose one could say, their room WAS a barrel of monkeys. They had two new friends, and a new focus on their animagus transformation. About all they did was go to work, and stay in their room. Eating was in there someplace. They were making progress on the transformation. Their potions and pranks fell by the wayside.

Human beings, as a group, are not known for their intelligence. Azkaban prison is a glaring example of that. Azkaban prison is as close to 'Hell on Earth' as a person can get. The wizarding world uses the threat of Azkaban to intimidate people into following the law. They actually give people short sentences there, regardless of the fact that incarceration there has been known to drive people insane. Why would any government want to take convicted people, and make them insane?

The maximum security cell block, that Peter Pettigrew was in, was due for its annual cleaning. They lead a babbling Pettigrew to a lower security area, and didn't pay close attention to the prisoners that were transferred. After all, no one ever escaped from Azkaban, none of the prisoners had wands, and even if they did, few could cast a spell after a few short weeks there. Peter wanted out. Badly. He managed to transform, and worked his way to the boat dock. There were few human guards to notice his disappearance. The dementors never would have paid attention to a rat. Peter hid on the boat, and waited for it to leave. It eventually did, and he left Azkaban prison. His absence was not noted until they refilled the maximum security cell block. Peter was long gone.

The end of summer break came soon enough, and on the Hogwarts Express, there was a compartment containing Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. They were discussing the great Peter Pettigrew escape from prison. The Ministry had launched a huge man hunt, and there were reported sights everywhere. The students were not worried. Both Hogwarts and the Express were safer than any where else in the wizarding world.


	13. Chapter 13 The Dementors of Azkaban

Chapter 13 The Dementors of Azkaban

Dumbledore finally found Remus Lupin in a suburb of Liverpool. It had taken a few weeks to find him. After Lockhart left, he thought of ways to enlarge Harry's support group. Remus would work out perfectly. He watched Remus carry a bag of groceries into his flat. After a few minutes, he knocked on the door. He would make this short, and sweet.

"Headmaster!" exclaimed Remus. "What a surprise. How can I help you?"

"Remus, please, call me Albus," said Dumbledore. "May I come in for a few minutes"

"Yes, of course," replied Remus. "What brings you here? Would you like some tea?"

"That would be nice," replied Dumbledore. The old man sat at the kitchen table. "I would enjoy catching up with what we have been doing for so many years, but I will get right to the point. I need a DADA professor this year. I seem to keep losing them. Have you kept up with the wizarding world?"

"I don't have any contact with the wizarding world now. I had nearly forgotten about it, to tell you the truth, after all these years," he replied. "After James and Lilly were murdered, Sirius went to prison, and we lost Harry ... I just couldn't stay. I stay pretty busy, substitute teaching and tutoring. I have a place I go, at that time of month. I like it here."

"I have a few crucial pieces of information for you," said Albus, getting ready to turn the world of Remus upside down. "Sirius was innocent, and he has been out of Azkaban for a little over a year and a half. He works at Hogwarts, as an auxiliary grounds keeper. Harry starts his third year in September." Remus dropped his cup, and it shattered on the floor. "Let me get that for you," continued Albus, and with a small wave of his wand, the cup, and contents, was returned to the table, where it sat untouched.

Remus was stunned. 'Sirius innocent,' he thought. 'Harry alive. Oh, James. Harry ... alive. At Hogwarts.' He just stared at the table.

"I need you, Remus," said Dumbledore. "I need a good DADA professor, and I have no doubt you would do a good job. I believe Harry needs stability in his life. Sirius has asked me about you, and I told him I hadn't heard anything about you. He is staying at Hogwarts, to be there for Harry. I thought you might like the chance to do the same."

Remus didn't hesitate. "Yes. Yes, I would like that," he replied. "I just need a little time to finish up what I am doing here."

"That is not a problem, I just require my Professors to be at Hogwarts Monday before Hogwarts opens September first. We have a pretty stable syllabus established to prepare the students for the exams," said Albus. "Can I count on you being there Monday the 24th of August?"

"I will be there," said Remus. "Maybe a bit sooner."

"Thank you, Remus," said Dumbledore, standing up. "I really must be going. Come as soon as you like." He headed for the door, smiled, and apparated.

Remus Lupin sat down again, staring at nothing in particular, lost in his thoughts. 'Sirius innocent. Harry alive.'

He made it to Hogwarts on the morning of the 15th of August. He wanted to get started on lesson plans, and find Sirius. Minerva showed him to his quarters, pointing out his office. He put his clothes away, and levitated two trunks to his office. He went down to the staff table in the Great Hall for lunch, and walked up behind Hagrid and Sirius talking about improvements to the chicken houses. Remus froze.

"S-S-Sirius?" he asked.

Sirius turned his head so fast, he became a bit woozy. "Remus," he whispered.

"It's been so long," Remus began. "Albus told me you were innocent. I never should have doubted you."

"I'll just be off to the chicken houses, then," said Hagrid. "No hurry, Sirius." Hagrid headed for the door.

"It's not like I was the brilliant auror either," said Sirius. "I bloody well bollocks'd up the whole deal. Let's go for a pint." And they did. About ten pints later, they staggered over to Sirius' house, and finished the job over fire whiskey.

Minister Fudge was extremely irritated. He was accustomed to having everyone defer to his suggestions, but then again, so was Headmaster Dumbledore. Students were returning to Hogwarts, and Peter Pettigrew had not been found.

"Dumbledore," said an exasperated Fudge, "listen to reason. Pettigrew is extremely dangerous. Not only did he aid He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the murder of the Potters, kill over a dozen muggles, and frame an innocent man, he successfully hid for over ten years as an animagus. He spent most of that time at Hogwarts with one of the Weasley children. Harry Potter is at Hogwarts. You must believe he will return to Hogwarts. The dementors will be able to recover their prisoner in a very short time. You placed the wards to identify him at Hogwarts yourself."

"That is exactly the reason I don't believe we need the dementors at Hogwarts," explained Dumbledore. "I don't want those foul creatures anywhere near the students. There was good reason to isolate them at Azkaban, in the middle of the North Sea. They have a debilitating effect on adults, let alone children. I will not allow dementors on Hogwarts property."

"You can't keep me from positioning them around the perimeter," replied Fudge. "I am having the Warden of Azkaban assign fifteen dementors, with keepers, at the edge of the Hogwarts wards at all times. He will be given the kiss immediately upon capture. He should have been kissed when he was convicted. Then we wouldn't have this problem."

"Very well," said Dumbledore. "I will warn the student body to avoid them. I really must return to the school to make final preparations for the arrival of the student body. Good day, Minister." Dumbledore walked straight to the nearest floo, and returned to the school.

Fudge yelled for his secretary. "Get me the Warden of Azkaban. I want him here as soon as possible."

"Right away, Minister," replied the secretary.

Half an hour later, the Warden arrived, and was ushered in to Fudge's office. "I am glad you are here," said Fudge. "The dementors scheduled for Hogwarts are wearing medallions keyed to Pettigrew's magical signature, from the ministry files when he was convicted. Those medallions are also keyed to Dumbledore's Pettigrew ward around the Hogwarts grounds. I do not want there to be any way Pettigrew can escape capture. He won't be able to hide, even with polyjuice. Hamilton, if you can not recover Pettigrew, I will find me another Warden for Azkaban, and you can forget about your retirement. I want the Hogwarts Express searched before it gets to Hogsmeade. Get Pettigrew!"

"Yes Sir," replied the Warden, and he immediately left. He could assign half a dozen dementors with a couple keepers to search the train immediately. He contacted them right away.

The trouble started as Hermione, for the tenth time, was telling Luna and Ginny about the cat she had bought in Diagon Alley. She was thrilled with her cat. The Magical Menagerie told her it was at least half kneazle, and would be rather intelligent. A book she had bought said that cats generally traveled better in a carrier in the baggage compartment. Her carrier had a charmed litter box, food, water, and mild calming charms on it to ease the anxiety of long trips. The carrier could change size, so it could also be used as a 'kitty hotel' in her dorm room.

The train stopped about ten minutes before it would have reached Hogsmeade. The temperature dropped, as the half dozen dementors swarmed onto the train. Aurors and keepers were inside and outside, watching for positive identification. Students up and down the train were traumatized, but none were traumatized more than Harry, Hermione, and Luna.

Harry was under magical attack again. He stood up, and crumpled to the floor. 'Accidental', subconscious magic was furiously at work, as his core automatically analyzed for a defense. The first memories that surfaced in Harry's mind replayed the near catatonic isolation at the Dursleys, followed quickly by murder of his parents. Harry nearly transformed as he re-lived those memories, before the murder scene surfaced in his mind, and he finally passed out.

Hermione slumped over the laps of Luna and Neville. She was back in the Chamber of Secrets before she passed out. Luna was reliving the accident that claimed her mother's life. The only thing that kept Luna in her seat was Hermione's body. Luna didn't pass out, but it might have been better if she had. Tears were streaming down Neville's face. Ron and Ginny looked like pale clothing store mannequins.

The dementor threw its head back, and made odd noises while taking deep, raspy breaths of air. It had not feasted like this, in its entire long lifetime. The keepers had been afraid of this, but they had been told the dementors had to search the train. It was bad enough with the dementors when new prisoners arrived, but this train full of children was better for them than a harvest festival. No one had thought any of the children would have strong enough experiences to make a dementor stay in one compartment, but Harry's compartment had three kids with excruciating memories.

There was one keeper on each end of the train, with an auror following each dementor into a car. The aurors stayed in the aisle watching for Pettigrew to try to escape when the dementor flushed him out. It never occurred to the auror in Harry's car that the inspection was taking too long. Harry's core took four long minutes to set up a proper defense against the dementor attack. Dementors would never affect him that way again. A good part of the food source was closed off, and a well fed dementor moved on down the car.

The search for Pettigrew took about fifteen minutes to complete. The aurors told the driver to continue on to Hogsmeade, where the shaken students entered the boats and thestral drawn carriages for the trip up to the school. Harry and Hermione were taken off of the train on stretchers, with the other four walking numbly behind them, to a special carriage. They were taken straight to Madam Pomfrey in the infirmary. Harry and Hermione were awakened by the Matron. The first thing Hermione was sit up, and say, "My cat!" Madam Pomfrey assured her that her cat would be cared for. All six students were given chocolate, and ate what little supper they could in the Hospital Wing. Harry, Hermione, and Luna were given beds for the night, with dreamless sleep potion, and released in the morning. The other three were escorted to their dormitory.

Dumbledore was livid when he found out the train had been stopped, and searched by dementors. Fudge was the epitome of political expediency. It took him several minutes to collect himself sufficiently to enter the Great Hall. Chocolate was distributed to all the tables. The room of first years waiting to be sorted was also given a tray of chocolates. The chocolate helped the children recover from dementor exposure, and took the edge off of their hunger. There has never been a sorting feast in Hogwarts history where less food was eaten.

Dumbledore made the usual announcements. He told the students that the dementors were patrolling outside of the Hogwarts grounds, on watch for Peter Pettigrew, at the request of the Ministry. He did not have to tell them twice that the dementors should be avoided. There was one new teacher. Remus Lupin would be teaching DADA. The students emptied the owlery in the morning, but not one letter mentioned Remus Lupin.

Ron and Neville went down to breakfast rather early, since they had gone to bed so early, and Ron woke up ravenous. Ginny had a habit of getting up early, and she met Harry, Hermione, and Luna coming out of the infirmary. They all met at the breakfast table, after Hermione assured herself that Crookshanks was OK.

Ginny was pushing eggs around on her plate. "I thought I would never be happy again," she said quietly. "I had heard stories about how bad the dementors were, but I really had no idea. So cold."

"Bad isn't the half of it," said Neville. "I remembered things I haven't thought about for ages."

"I don't want to ever think about spiders again," said Ron.

"I saw Mum get killed," said Luna sadly.

"So did I," said Harry. "I heard him laugh as he killed her."

"He was the one who attacked me with the damned book," said Hermione. "I hate the memory of him, and I hate dementors."

"I am going to find a way to fight those things," said Harry.

"I will start the research," said Hermione. "There has to be something in the library on them."

"I'll help look," said Luna. "Maybe Dad has some information on them."

"I am writing Xavier Figg after I eat breakfast," said Harry. "If he doesn't know about them, he will know who does."

"Dad's in the Ministry," said Ron. "He will know something about the bloody things."

"Gran will know about them," said Neville. "She knows something about everything."

"I am going for a run," said Harry. "It helps clear my head. I will see if I can find Sirius afterward."

"Want some company?" asked Ginny.

"Of course," said Harry. "Maybe we can find Hagrid, as well." He got up to leave. Ginny followed.

"I am going to grab a school broom, and go out on the pitch," said Ron. "See you later."

"Crookshanks and I are going to the library," said Hermione.

"Greenhouses," said Neville.

"Want some company, Neville?" asked Luna. "I used to help Mum with her herbs, and I miss her terribly. The dementors freshened the pain."

"Sure," replied Neville. "Let's go."

Harry and Ginny walked into the barns. A couple cats ran out the back. They were running with the unicorns a short time later. Ginny had become a talented rider, and could stay with Harry at full speed, as long as she had a couple handfuls of the skin on Harry's neck. She could sit up without holding on, if he wasn't going too fast, by staying in rhythm with his strides. She did need a break now and then, when Harry was running with the herd. It was up one hill, and down another. Jump a fallen tree or fifteen foot slice in the forest floor. Ginny was getting stronger.

She became a large cat, where the Forest met the mountains. After a brief rest, they both explored the area for a while. Ginny couldn't keep up with Harry in a flat out race, but they were able to have quite a bit of fun, pouncing and sprinting with a few mock hunts. Ginny's feline muscles were quite powerful. They made their way back toward the school, not really going anywhere. They didn't need to say anything. Two hours later, they walked out of the barn to look for Sirius.

They found Sirius in the orchards. There would be a good crop this year. "Harry," he said, "I heard the dementors gave you a hard time while they were looking for Peter. You OK now, Harry? How are you, Ginny?"

"I'm all right," said Ginny, "but I don't care to see dementors again."

"How could you stand Azkaban that long?" asked Harry. "I passed out yesterday, but I am fine now."

"The first few weeks are bad for everyone. Some just don't stay sane. If it hadn't been for Padfoot, I wouldn't have survived. It isn't so bad, when a person is in animal form. The dementors don't have eyes like we do, so they never knew, or cared, if I was an animal. Ginny, I am a dog animagus, but not many know that. You hang around my Godson so much, you should know. The list of people who know that is short."

"I understand," said Ginny. "Making the animagus transformation gave you relief from the dementors?"

"Quite a bit, actually," said Sirius. "I have no idea why that happens. I spent more time as Padfoot, than I did as Sirius. Knowing that I was innocent helped also. I don't care if I ever see another dementor either."

"So, you are saying if I had transformed, I wouldn't have passed out yesterday?" asked Harry.

"Probably not. Most wizards use the patronus charm to chase them away," replied Sirius. "There are few animagi, and even fewer that would know to avoid the disabling effects of dementors using the transformation. I discovered it quite accidentally."

"Can you teach me the patronus charm?" asked Harry.

"I may have spent too much time around the dementors to use the charm," said Sirius, "but the new DADA Prof., Lupin, should be able to help you. He is an old friend of mine. We recently got reacquainted. He was a year-mate of your parents and I. He was a natural tutor back then."

"He knew my parents?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, ask him about them, if you get a chance," said Sirius. "He is a good bloke. I have a pint with him, as often as we can arrange it. Teaching will keep him pretty busy for a while. You should ask him about the patronus charm."

"OK, I'll ask," said Harry.

"What are you taking for electives this year?" asked Sirius.

"Advanced Care of Magical Creatures, with Hagrid, and Healing Arts, with Pomfrey. Hagrid thinks I could pass my OWL in CoMC now. It isn't formal class work, but it isn't an apprenticeship either. Each Professor can take a few students for individual instruction. Both of them have agreed to take me on, to see if I have any talent in their areas of expertise. I will still have the core courses."

"I spend quite a bit of time with Hagrid," said Sirius. "It will be fun working with you and Hagrid. He always has some sort of odd creature around."

"Do you need any help out here?" asked Harry.

"No, I am checking on the insect wards in the orchard," replied Sirius. "Just routine."

"Sirius, what do you do for fun?" asked Ginny.

"Everything I do now is fun," replied Sirius. "I spend a lot of time at Hogwarts. Azkaban has a way of making a bloke enjoy most anything that isn't prison. I visit The Three Broomsticks, and play cards at the Hogshead now and then with Hagrid and a few of the regulars. I floo into London now and then."

"How about you, Ginny?" asked Sirius. "What do you do for fun?"

"Oh, I like to sketch things," said Ginny. "I want to start working with transfiguration to make little things. This is my second year of school, and I have so much to learn. Using magic is unlimited entertainment."

"Right in one," said Sirius. "Me and my mates used to prank anything that moves."

"That sounds like my brothers. I don't care much for pranks, but I can hold my own, if they get out of hand. Harry, I am going on in for lunch. You coming?" asked Ginny.

"Yeah, sounds good. See you later, Sirius," replied Harry. They walked on up to the castle. They met Neville and Luna at the Gryffindor table. After lunch, Luna and Ginny drifted off, and Harry went back out on the grounds. He started working on some more bone handles for his fang stilettos.

Ginny retired for the evening rather early, because she had gotten a lot more exercise than she normally did. Green Eyes was walking the halls, when he ran into Crookshanks. They had no trouble having a long conversation, since Crookshanks was more kneazle, than not. He was several years old, and had purposely infiltrated a shipment to the Magical Menagerie. He was looking for a suitable wizard to team up with, and had acted somewhat disagreeable until he found the one he wanted. Hermione was that suitable person. Crookshanks was out exploring the new territory, and Harry gave him the grand tour. When they returned to the Gryffindor common room, Harry could not follow Crookshanks into the charmed cat tunnel. Not that he needed to.

The morning mail was unusually heavy. Parents wanted to know their children were OK. News of the inspection of the Hogwarts Express by dementors spread like wildfire. The Daily Prophet's front page ran a story explaining how the Ministry was doing everything in its power to catch the escaped convict, Pettigrew. Two students were carried from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts on stretchers, but there was no permanent damage. The students were released from the infirmary the next day, and the incident pushed aside. The wizarding world has a short memory, and the incident blew over quickly.

Ginny told Luna to meet her at about 11:00 p.m. in the water closet in the Ravenclaw girls' dorm. Harry and Ginny lead her through the pipe tunnels in the walls, and showed her the tricks to getting around. Harry and Ginny didn't explore like they did during Ginny's first year. One would think they were too old to run and romp around the hallways and stairs, but it was fun cavorting around as a cat. The three had a good time. Cats have always had a wide range, and it really has nothing to do with food. Cats have a lot of curiosity, let alone teenagers, and cats have the physically ability to go about anywhere they can get their claws. They ended the tour with a couple of the barns, and called it the night. They met Crookshanks on the way back in. He had some sort of rodent partially consumed. They exchanged a greeting, and continued into the castle. This added another dimension to Luna's and Ginny's ghost forays. Curfew would no longer be a problem for Luna.

Everyone was well into an organized pattern after a couple weeks into the term. Harry was learning human physiology and medical diagnostics charms with Madam Pomfrey. She took him and two others to St. Mungo's once a week, since Hogwarts didn't have much besides sports injuries, and a few pranks gone bad, to work with. Harry found out that most of the charms applied to mammals in general, and he could use them with Hagrid. Hagrid didn't use charms, and treated most of his injured patients with potions, poultices, splints, and bandages. Hagrid didn't have a wand ... well, not a legal one anyway. Harry used a lot of potions to manage reproductive health in the livestock that Hagrid would not have otherwise used. Some animals were supposed to get pregnant, and he started using fertility potions and pregnancy diagnostics. Some animals were not supposed to be involved in reproduction at one time or another, so he used potions and charms to inhibit the ovulation cycle, and conception. Farmers usually just isolate the reproductive males, and castrate the others. Harry started getting a lot of practice in reproductive organ removal, and the necessary recovery from surgery. The house elves could use any mistakes in the kitchen, but Harry didn't make mistakes. Harry would also take trips into the Forest to find 'patients' to practice on. He didn't care what he found and worked on. Food was the easiest to find injured, so he would patch them up. They would get caught and eaten some other day.

The study group was in full operation. Everyone had the core courses. The group often discussed the non-core courses, to give the others an overview of the material. Hermione was taking muggle studies and arithmancy. She was disgusted with muggle studies, and would probably drop it. The material was hopelessly out of date and incomplete. Arithmancy looked interesting, but Harry didn't have the time. Harry's information in mammalian reproduction drew a few chuckles.

Hermione asked the group what they had found out about the dementors. She began the discussion with what she had found out.

"Dementors were created by dark wizards for use in battle," she began. "It is difficult for an enemy to fight in their presence, since they attack the mind. They don't eat food, or drink water. They draw energy from their surroundings, dropping the temperature. They are very resistance to magical attack, since they absorb energy. There is no known way to kill them magically. They even resist the killing curse, and few people can get close enough to hurt them physically without being overcome by their feeding. The affect they have on people gets much worse as they get closer. Their touch can cause catatonia. Dementors can be controlled, to some extent, by a specially made magical talisman. They can be chased away by the patronus charm. We need to learn the patronus charm."

Neville spoke up, "Gran said the Ministry doesn't know how to destroy the dementors. They segregated them from the wizarding world by confining them to Azkaban and feeding them with the memories of prisoners. They won't cross large bodies of water. She said it was utterly stupid to take them to Hogwarts. The Ministry is under the misguided notion dementors can always be controlled. They are very dangerous when they are hungry. What the Ministry does have, is an arrangement, of sorts."

Ron said, "Dad told me the Ministry uses them as to intimidate criminals. Minister Fudge is particularly fond of using them, both as a body guard and as auror weapons. Not many wizards can stop them. Azkaban prison uses people as dementor food."

Luna said, "Dad told me dementors need to feed on the energy of positive emotions. In an odd way, dementors feed on positive energy while a person is paralyzed by negative memories. A person actually keeps the memories. When a dementor gives 'The Kiss', it feeds on the energy released by removing the memories of the mind. The dementor's kiss is a total obliviation of the physical mind. It probably isn't pleasant. Dementors don't eat like that often, since it destroys the food supply. The dementor's kiss doesn't actually remove the soul, it burns out the pathways between the soul and the mind. The body may stay alive, but the person no longer has a conscious mind, and another one can't form."

Harry said, "I've been told an animagus in the non-human form can resist a dementor attack, to some extent."

Hermione spoke up again, saying, "That would make sense. They were created specifically to attack human beings in a battlefield situation. The designer probably wanted to still be able to use horses and other animals in their presence. I wonder what is different. We all should probably become animagi. I really don't want to go through another attack from those foul things."

"I will ask Professor Lupin if he will teach us the patronus charm," Harry said. "I have been meaning to talk with him anyway. I just haven't done it yet."

"I will ask Professor McGonagall if she can teach us to be animagi," said Hermione. "I was amazed when she transformed into a cat our first year."

Harry thought, 'She will like that.'

Ginny asked, "Do you think Professor McGonagall will need parental permission?"

Hermione replied, "I don't know. I will have to ask."

Ron said, "It might be fun. I don't think any of our brothers have done this."

Ginny thought, 'What he doesn't know! I have done it, the twins are doing it, and it was Bill's book. I will have to ask Bill some time.'

Harry stayed after DADA class the next day. "Professor Lupin, do you have a moment?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter," replied the Professor, collecting his material. "I have a free period now. Would you like to walk with me to my office."

"Yeah, I have some time," replied Harry. "Sirius Black is my godfather, and he said you knew my parents."

"Is this what you wanted to talk with me about," Remus said, walking down the hallway.

"That, among other things," replied Harry, as they walked into the DADA office. "I don't really remember my parents. I was so young when they died. I never knew them."

"May I call you Harry?" asked Remus.

"Yes, Professor," replied Harry.

"Please, Harry, when we are alone, call me Remus. Calling me Professor doesn't feel right. I knew your father quite well. Sirius and I were with him while he waited for you to be born. I was ... devastated by James' and Lily's death, followed by your disappearance. I would enjoy telling you about them."

"Sirius has mentioned your name a few times," said Harry. "I visit with him now and then. He said you have a pint or two, when you get the chance."

"That we do, Harry," said Remus. "You said there was something else you wanted to ask?"

"Yes," replied Harry. "You probably heard how the dementors affected me and a few others on the train coming to school. We were wondering if you could teach us the patronus charm. It is supposed to chase them away."

"It is a difficult charm to learn," said Remus, "but I will be glad to teach you what I know. It is a seventh year charm. When would you like to try?"

"When is a good time for you?" asked Harry. "The weekend might work."

"Let's try for Saturday, at 3:00 then," replied Remus. "How many are in your group?"

"There are six of us," said Harry. "We have had a study group for quite a while, and we were together on the train. None of us care to see another dementor. I want to have a way to fight them."

"I will be glad to help, Harry," said Remus. They spent a while in light conversation about Harry's parents.

Hermione stayed after Transfiguration class in the afternoon. "Professor, may I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, Miss Granger," said the Professor. "How may I help you?"

"Several of us would like to become animagi. Could you help us?" asked Hermione.

"There is no subject I enjoy more, than the animagus transformation. How many students are we talking about?" asked Minerva.

"There are six of us. Myself, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood," said Hermione. "Ginny also asked that, if you want to teach us, will you need parental permission."

"I would be happy to teach animagi," said McGonagall. "Parental permission is not necessary, as long as you agree to transform only when I am present, at least until I am satisfied the student has mastered the change. It is just a specialized form of transfiguration. At this time, we only need parental permission slips for students to leave school grounds. We are also required to inform parents when students are admitted to the infirmary. Animagi training is just a part of what Hogwarts can teach. Since most of you are in my House, I am familiar with your schedules. Could you meet me in the Transfiguration classroom on Thursday at 7:00?"

"That should work, Professor," said Hermione smiling. "Thanks, I need to tell everyone!" She bounded out the door, leaving the Professor with a smile on her face. She had never had this many animagi students in her career.

Hermione quickly found Harry, and motioned him to an empty classroom. "Harry, Professor McGonagall said she will teach us. You said you are already an animagus last year. What do you want to do? I would really like having you with us."

"I will go through the training with you, and keep my transformation at the same pace as the rest of you," said Harry. "Maybe I will pick up some new information." Harry actually wanted some 'official' proof of animagus transformation. He was going to make sure the rest of them thought he was an ordinary house cat. Hermione only knew he was an animagus, and the suspected form was cat. Ginny was going to need to pace herself also.

Harry met with McGonagall, for the wandless animagus project. Harry didn't think he could get much busier, as he walked in the door of her office. He had a full course load, projects with McGonagall, Hagrid, and Pomfrey, quidditch, and he was working with the twins on the animagus transformation. He still wanted to visit Sirius and his training room.

"Harry, Hermione stopped by today," began Minerva. "She mentioned six of you want animagus training. Aren't you going to be bored?"

"No, not really," said Harry. "I will enjoy working with them. I am going to use this training to document I am a house cat animagus. No one needs know otherwise. Have you been practicing wandless magic?"

"I practice in both forms, using feathers for wingardium leviosa, and an infirmary scale, to know when I am lighter," said the Prof. "I have two scales for us today. I have been able to lighten myself by a few ounces."

"I was watching a young thestral with Hagrid yesterday," said Harry. "Hagrid was working with the mare. The mare had a colt, and it was running and flying circles around us. I could tell that the young colt was inconsistent with his weight control. Sometimes he would have to try harder to stay in the air. The colt was managing his magic, while using his wings. It appears to take some practice."

"It is going to take some practice for me too," said Minerva, grinning. "This feels like I started Hogwarts all over again." They kept working with the scales. Both Harry and Minerva were having some success. Harry would practice wandless stupefy and reducto somewhere else.

Thursday came quickly. The six students met in the Transfiguration classroom.

"I am glad all of you could be here tonight," began McGonagall. "The animagus transformation is a particular favorite of mine. To make the change, you will need to WANT to make the change, UNDERSTAND the changes that are being made, and PRACTICE the change you need to make. You may STUDY the change outside of this classroom, you may VISUALIZE the change outside of this classroom, but you may NOT PRACTICE the change outside of this classroom. Is that understood? I will be most unhappy if I find you have been practicing elsewhere." She looked at each of them until they said "Yes."

She continued, "Now that THAT is out of the way, I must tell you I am pleased to see you here. We will be a bit less formal, in this extracurricular activity. Do you know the form you want to take? Hermione? You first."

"I want to be a cat," said Hermione. "I have always liked cats, and I recently purchased a cat in Diagon Alley. I think it would be fun to be a cat with him."

Harry wondered if he would ever tell her the kneazle cross picked her. "Cat," he said.

"Cat," said Luna. "All the better to find Snorkacks."

"Cat," said Ginny, smiling brilliantly. "I have been fond of cats for years."

"Lion," said Ron. "I am a Gryffindor."

"Cat," said Neville. "I can think of several good reasons to be a cat."

"I see that all of you chose to be cats, of one form, or another," said the Professor. "There are two main ways I am familiar with to visualize the initial transformation. The first one maintains your body mass, and the second one has you go straight to final form. I personally think the first one is easier for most people, but there are certainly more than two ways to practice the transformation. Ron, if you try the first way, you will be a very large cat. I am only making a suggestion, but if you choose a common form of house cat, you have quite a bit of anonymity. A lion draws a considerable amount of attention." The Professor made the transformation, but chose her larger version of the tabby cat to demonstrate, and changed back.

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Ron.

Minerva continued. "I can assure you, that the differences among cats are superficial in nature. Size, type of fur, color, and the like. You could even look like the extinct saber-tooth tiger, though I don't recommend it. I think there is a reason it became extinct. Those teeth! Really, can you imagine. Anyway, once you master the physiology, the rest is much easier. Since you have all chosen the form I chose to master, I have quite a bit of study material, and I will likely be able to make relevant suggestions to facilitate your progress. We won't need to look up the information on another species." She went to her files, and pulled out a large folder. She made six copies, and handed one to each of the students.

Hermione was transfixed, as McGonagall continued. "It is imperative you study this material, to make the transformation. You must understand cat physiology. As your magical core powers the transformation, you will become ... more ... than human. There will likely be some ... carryover. As an example, the muscle fibers of a cat are slightly different than human muscle fiber. Eye structure is different. Please study the material, and discuss anything among yourselves. I will ask you to refrain from discussing it with other students, since it will only serve to distract you. Distractions will hinder the process tremendously. Do you have any questions?"

Harry, Ginny, and Luna had no questions what so ever. Ron and Neville didn't know enough to have questions yet, and Hermione couldn't wait to dive into the material. The Professor finished with this comment, "If it continues to be appropriate, we will meet every Thursday night at 7:00. There will be times when one, or more of you, will be unable to make the meeting. You will probably be able to help each other at various times of the week. Please, let me repeat. No physical practice outside of this classroom. It could complicate matters quite a bit, and we do not want complications. I will enjoy supervising this study group. The animagus transformation counts for extra credit on the transfiguration NEWT exam."

The six met with Professor Lupin on Saturday. He began with some history of the patronus charm.

"I am pleased that some students want to be able to resist dementor attack. It is normally demonstrated during seventh year, but it isn't a requirement on the NEWT examination. This charm is normally not required unless one is employed by the Ministry, in either the DMLE or the Department of Mysteries. You should not be disappointed if you fail to form a corporeal patronus. Dementors are very resistance to magical attack, and most wizards don't function well in their presence. The incantation is 'expecto patronum'. Before saying the spell, you must recall the happiest memory you can think of. There is no particular wand movement." Lupin paused for a moment, lifted his wand, and forcefully said, "EXPECTO PATRONUM."

Mist poured out of Lupin's wand, and formed the Gryffindor mascot, which ran around the room, and stopped at his side. It lasted for about five minutes, and dissipated.

Remus began again, "Few wizards expect to ever see an dementor, let alone fight one. The major problem with the charm is, that even if one can perform the charm in a classroom setting, dementors cause us to experience our worst, most fearful memories. You must perform the charm before you are incapacitated by the dementors. Please give yourselves some room, and try the charm. When you can form a corporeal patronus, it will usually take the shape of an animal that has significant emotional significance to you. I have seen wolves, lions, badgers, stags, phoenix, eagles, and falcons. There is no limit to the possible forms a patronus may take. The shape isn't important, but the size and consistency of the patronus formed is important."

Shouts of, "EXPECTO PATRONUM," were heard around the room. All that came out of their wands was a little mist.

"Don't be disappointed if you don't have success for a few weeks," explained Remus. "Most of the incantations you learn in the first three years at Hogwarts are simple. You are associating your magical success with a vocal command and a physical movement of your wand. The patronus has an emotional component that must be incorporated, and most of you have probably not used essential emotions in spell casting yet. If a particular memory doesn't seem to work, try another one."

They tried the spell for another thirty minutes, and Remus told them to practice on their own for a while. He would meet with them at the same time in two weeks.

The following Thursday, McGonagall brought out two, oversized, anatomically correct male and female cat mannequins. She also brought out several transfigured cat's legs. "Familiarize yourselves with these. Touch them. Know them. This is what you will become. I am going to transfigure each of you into cats, so you may get comfortable with your final form. Knock these balls around, to become aware of how you move." The cats had a good time, romping around the classroom.

The next day, Harry and Ginny met with the twins in their hole in the wall. It was a convenient place to relax, do a little homework, and watch the twins try their transformation. Boy and Girl still didn't have names, and the monkeys would watch the twins in fascination. Harry and Ginny usually had their nose in a book.

"George," said Ginny. "Yesterday, McGonagall changed us into cats. I have made the transformation, and it has helped me by pointing out small differences, mostly on the inside. Have you thought about asking her for help?"

"That's a great idea," said Fred.

"What!" exclaimed George. "Are you out of your mind? We don't want the old lady knowing anything about this."

"No," replied Fred. "Not get her involved. Make the transformation. We could pass our NEWT in potions now. We are potioneers extraordiare, you know. Let's make a potion. Boy, there, will be our donor. What do you say, Boy? Want to get involved?" Boy nodded his head immediately. Fred and George quit trying to change body parts and started making notes in the corner.

Harry went looking for Kaasaar. He hadn't told Ginny about him again. She couldn't talk to Kaasaar, and she never felt comfortable around the big snake. Who would? Only someone who could talk to it, and sense its motives. Harry wasn't keeping secrets. It just hadn't had a need to come up in conversation. Harry wasn't given to rattling about this, that, and the other. Harry was an information sponge, not a spout. It isn't like they were bored, the group stayed rather busy. Harry found him in the Chamber.

_"Is hunting good?"_ asked Harry.

_"Hunting is good," _replied the snake. _"The acromantula are a bit more wary now."_

_"Can their numbers overwhelm you?"_ asked Harry.

_"They dare not try,"_ replied Kaasaar. _"Nothing that lives can withstand my venom. My venom is a combination of blood, neural, and magical toxin. It is most potent. They could possibly attack and kill a young basilisk, but there are few things that can harm me. At my age and strength, my skin is resistant to magical and physical attack. We are quite similar to dragons, in that respect. I can actually withstand the crowing of a rooster, though I would not stay around it. The rooster would need to be quite close to harm me, in any event."_

_"Are there any antidotes for your venom?"_ asked Harry.

_"There are a few, and they must be magical in nature," _said Kaasaar. _"I can make one. Phoenix tears can neutralize my venom, as can a few specific potions. There isn't much time for an antidote to be administered, and it is unlikely anyone would aid an acromantula. Acromantula consider all creatures prey. Of all the creatures in the Forest, they are the most likely to attack a student. They are quite nutritious."_

_"What else do you do around the castle?"_ asked Harry.

_"I listen. I have been paying attention to what you do, as you are the most interesting student that has been at Hogwarts for a long time," _replied the snake. _"You and your friend got to the troll before I did. The troll was escorted into the castle, probably by faculty. It would not have made it past the wards, otherwise. I tracked it back to the door it came in. I have noticed that you are studying wandless magic. Salazar taught wandless magic, as a required class."_

_"What can you tell me about wandless magic?_ asked Harry. _"Wandless shields are easy for me, but levitation and weight reduction hasn't been as easy."_

_"For wizards, magic is performed by intent, understanding, power, and trigger,"_ replied the snake. _"Magic is unaffected by language, or whether or not a wand, or staff, is used. Some magic is quite simple, and that is why young wizards spontaneously cast spells. Most magic requires practice to develop understanding. One must know that magic will be performed. Human beings are able to learn magic easier with a wand. Wizards become dependent upon wands to channel power and wands become part of the trigger. Wandless magic requires more practice, and wizards are generally lazy. I have listened to many different sorts of lessons."_

_"Can you do magic?" _asked Harry.

_"No, nothing beyond my magical nature,"_ replied the snake._ "I do not have a magical core, as such. I am a biological construction, made by Salazar, to protect the school. I was magically bred, using a chicken egg, and hatched under specially enlarged toad. There are no other basilisks like me, since Salazar made me very unique, with specific enchantments. I am bound to Hogwarts, in many different ways. More than that, I choose to remain here, with my promise to Slytherin. Hogwarts helps sustain me. It may be possible for me to survive as long as Hogwarts does."_

Harry had nothing but questions. What would you do if you could talk to a thousand year old entity that lived in Hogwarts, listening to teachers and students?

In the middle of October, Ron, Neville, and Hermione were changing their non-writing hands into perfect cat's paws. They were learning quickly, under the tutoring of McGonagall. The Professor was watching them each in turn, and she noticed Ginny's arm flash to cat before she could catch herself, and restrict the change to her hand. At the end of the session, McGonagall asked Ginny to remain a moment. Ron and Neville took off. Hermione and Luna headed for the library. Harry hung around outside.

"Please relax, Ginny," began the Professor. "How long have you been an animagus?"

"Professor, I ...I ... How did you know?" asked Ginny. "Am I in trouble? I have been able to change since Christmas before I came to school."

"Two years," said McGonagall. "You are not in trouble. I trust you will be able to keep pace with the rest of the class. You are having occasional trouble keeping the total transformation from occurring in this class, aren't you? May I see your complete transformation?"

"Yes, Ma'am," said Ginny, and she changed to her small, final form. She walked around for a few minutes, and changed back. "I have to stay on my toes, to stay with the partial transformation. May Harry join us? I doubt he has traveled far down the hall."

The Professor waved her wand, and the door opened to reveal Harry leaning on the door frame. "Please join us, Harry," said Minerva. "Ginny has requested you come in. She is explaining her animagus training."

"I was nine, and Harry was ten, when we started," said Ginny. "We had a book. I think you are aware of Harry's history. My mother would have kittens if she knew. This class is much better than when we taught ourselves. I have learned a lot in this class, and improved what is inside my cat form. The literature you gave us has so much information about eyes and ears. It really helped when you changed us into cats the second week. This class will smooth things tremendously, when Mum finds out. She will want to know I was ... under adult care. She will want me to register. How soon must I register?"

"Ginny was a tremendous help, when I had to relearn human form," said Harry. "I am not sure I could have done it, without her. She had the book we learned from. We practiced as often as we could."

"You have done a very nice job with your form, Ginny. If not for Harry, you would be the youngest animagus I have heard of, at ten years old. None of you should need to register until you finish your seventh year," said McGonagall. "The Ministry considers you to be in training, under supervision, at Hogwarts. I do expect that none of you will ... embarrass me. Let me know if you have any questions. This has been a most enjoyable year. I expect your friends will be well along by this time next month. If you and your friends stay with it, we have four more years to experiment. I didn't mean to keep you very long. You still have a little time before curfew. Good night, you two."

"Good night," said Harry and Ginny, as they headed for the door.

Later that week, Harry stumbled on to the secret to his patronus. The six were practicing in an unused classroom. He was trying to form a good positive memory, and he remembered a time with his foster father. As he said the incantation, he sent a pulse of kneazle emotion out, fully wrapped up in the memory. A huge cloud came out of his wand, and formed into a large version of his foster father.

"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione. "What did you do differently?"

"I ... projected ... my happy memory as I said the incantation," said Harry. "It is hard to describe, exactly. I sort of had to hold the memory, and send the emotion with the spell, as I said the words."

Hermione tried that immediately, and she had a vague, misty blob try to form a shape, before it dissipated. She was ecstatic. She tried again, while on this emotional 'high', and she was successful. Her patronus was an otter. It wasn't near the size of Harry's kneazle, but it was fully formed and lasted a couple minutes. Luna was successful next, with some sort of mountain goat. She was followed soon by Ginny, who had a winged cat. Ron and Neville were able to form blobs, before their session was over. This made Hermione feel much better. The upcoming weekend was Halloween, and their first Hogsmeade weekend. They all wanted to see the town for the first time, but they knew the dementors were outside the gate. Hermione felt much better, with the thought she had a defense against the horrid creatures. She had never felt as bad as she felt on the train, and she never wanted to again.

Their Hogsmeade weekend went pretty well. They walked all over town, visiting most of the shops. The keepers kept the dementors under control at the gate, but the dementors were getting restless. They were not feeding regularly, on the edges of the school's wards. They could sustain themselves by drawing thermal energy, which lowered the temperature around them, but they needed human emotional energy to be ... complete.

The quidditch match the following weekend, between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, was just too much for the hungry creatures. The stadium was packed with happy, cheering students. Harry had just caught the snitch, and Madam Hooch had blown her whistle.

The keepers watched the dementors getting agitated, and they were worried. They were hungry, and their hunger over powered the medallions. Historically, the dementors had nothing to fear, once the medallions could not inhibit them. All fifteen of the Hogwarts dementors swarmed into the stadium, and were treated to buffet lunch, feeding rapidly and heavily.

Most of the students on brooms lost altitude, and headed for the castle. Harry's instinctive dementor shield was active, and protecting him. He flew to his friends in the stands, getting there in seconds.

The medallions were already starting to control the dementors by the time the professors launched their patroni. In the upper levels of the stadium, Harry, Hermione, Luna, and Ginny launched patroni to join with those of the professors. This completed the task of driving the dementors from the field. None of his friends had been close enough to the dementors to be overwhelmed, though they had felt the basic unease of dementors feeding. Nearly the entire school had been at the stadium, and it spread the effects over several people.

Most of the students had stampeded out of the stadium by the time the dementors were driven off. Madam Pomfrey and Harry immediately set up a local triage station. Her other assistants had fled, and nobody would blame them. Dementors are awful. The stampede had injured a dozen students, three severely, and one critically. Pomfrey immediately got to work stabilizing the critically injured first year girl who had been trampled at the bottom of the stairs. Harry worked to stabilize the other injuries. Two of the students received multiple leg fractures as they were pushed off the bleachers, and the third had hit his head on the bleachers after being pushed. Several students had bruises and cuts, which would wait. Four stretchers and a large crowd slowly walked to the infirmary.

The infirmary was very busy. Pomfrey was still working on the critically injured young girl. Her older assistants were prepping the severe injuries. Pomfrey called over to Harry. "Mr. Potter, will you please see to those bruises."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Harry. He walked over to the beds where the minor injuries had been segregated.

Draco Malfoy was heavily bruised, but otherwise OK. "Hey!" he yelled. "I don't want Potter working on me."

"Mr. Malfoy," said Harry in the most professional tone he could manage, "I assure you I can heal those bruises. If you want to wait for Madam Pomfrey, you will be here four or five hours. I can have you healed, and out of here in ten minutes."

Malfoy's mind was rapidly assessing political possibilities. Potter was one of the old family names. The time for childhood nonsense was long gone. "Potter, I have noticed your work in the classes we share. I'll give you a go. You can heal my bruises."

Harry pulled screens around the bed. "Please remove your robe," he began, "Too many layers of clothing interfere with diagnostics."

Harry began his scans. Malfoy had been pushed to the ground hard. His hand had been stepped on, and someone had kneed his shoulder when they, in turn, fell on him.

"If you remove your shirt," Harry said, "I think I can fix you right away."

As Draco removed his shirt, he told Harry, "Do you realize Potter is one of the oldest families? Your family has been involved in the Wizengamut for centuries. Until the most recent generations, Malfoys and Potters had several mutual projects that were most successful."

Harry started working on his hand first. "I had no idea," said Harry, "I wasn't involved in the wizarding world until just before I received my Hogwarts letter. My guardian, Xavier Figg, has told me a little. The Potters were nearly all killed this century in the recent wizard wars. They were ... targeted."

"That feels good," said Draco. "I have been studying the families since last summer. Quite a bit, actually. Would you like to know more?"

Harry was sensing genuine interest from Draco. His sensing abilities were going to be invaluable in his healing studies, as well as his personal interactions. Pomfrey had some empathic ability. Harry started on the shoulder. "My guardian has told me I have a lot to learn by the time I graduate," said Harry, "He told me I will be head of House Potter. I am awfully busy this semester, but I might have some questions for you in the future."

"Potter, that feels ... much better," sighed Draco. "You're good at this. If you have any questions, let me know."

Harry ran his scans again. Diagnostics showed the bruising was gone, with no other apparent problems. "You can put your clothes back on, and leave when you are ready," said Harry. "I will keep your offer in mind. I must see to my next patient. Have a good day, Mr. Malfoy."

Malfoy had changed, since last year. Harry hadn't really crossed his path this year.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," said Draco, dressing to leave. Harry moved on to the next bed.

The Daily Prophet was not kind to the Ministry the following day. None of the students had been in serious danger from the dementors, but the dementors had caused a panic. Students had sent mail home, complaining about dementors. Parents and grandparents do not like to hear such complaints. Fudge was reminded of this, in no uncertain terms.

It was nearly noon. There was a knock on Fudge's door, and his secretary stepped in. "Mr. Wainwright is here to see you, if you have a moment."

"I always have time for Mr. Wainwright," said Fudge. "Please send him in." Wainwright was one of several major contributors to Fudge's campaign fund, and one cornerstone of his Wizengamut faction.

"Robert, what a pleasant surprise," beamed Fudge. "Do you have time to have lunch with me?"

"No, I don't Cornelius," said Wainwright. "Marie and I just left Hogwarts. Our granddaughter was critically injured yesterday at a quidditch match. Marie is distraught, and I was hoping you could give us reassurance this won't happen at Hogwarts again. Twice this year, students have been taken to the Hogwarts infirmary on stretchers because of dementors. Dementors caused a panic in the stadium, and Cindy was trampled in the rush to leave. She may have died, if the Matron hadn't been on the scene."

"It will not happen again, Robert," stated Fudge. "I will find the person responsible for this, and take appropriate action."

"Thank you, Cornelius," said Wainwright. "Please let me know what happens. I must get home. Good day."

Fudge was politically astute enough to realize this better not happen again. He was thinking rapidly. 'If he finds out Dumbledore fought to keep the dementors away from Hogwarts, I won't hear the end of it.'

"Get me the Warden of Azkaban," yelled Fudge. Half an hour later, the Warden entered Fudge's office.

"How can I help you, Minister?" asked the Warden.

"Explain what happened at Hogwarts," huffed Fudge. "Why hasn't Pettigrew been found?"

"The dementors can't feed properly at the ward perimeter," said the Warden. "They were drawn to the raw emotion at the stadium. If Pettigrew was near the wards, he would have been discovered by now. Perhaps he isn't in the area."

"Preposterous," yelled Fudge. "He spent the last five years there, with the Weasley children. Harry Potter is there now, and Potter was the one who destroyed his Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He will want revenge. Get this over with. Find Pettigrew, and get those dementors back to Azkaban by the end of November."

The following weekend was beautiful, and two animagi left Hogwarts grounds for the Forbidden Forest. Harry knew where the dementor was, but they had never bothered them before, so he paid it no attention. Harry coughed deeply in warning, as Ginny was mounting to ride. She looked over her shoulder, and saw the dementor rapidly approaching. Harry's natural dementor shield was strong, perhaps too strong for his own good, since the dementor was drawn to it out of curiosity. Harry's shield was active, whether he was in human or cat form. Once a dementor is locked on to a particular life form, apparation or a port key is the only way to shake it off your trail. The dementor was communicating to its brethren that a hunt had started.

"Let's go, Harry," yelled Ginny. "It won't follow." They made a quick four miles, and Harry changed back. He knew the damned things were coming. This dementor was ... broadcasting, somehow. It was different than the usual impressions he picked up from dementors. Foul things. In minutes, they could see the dementor, and it was definitely coming their way.

"Patronus charms," said Harry. "Expecto patronum!" yelled Harry and Ginny. The patronus stopped the dementor in its tracks, but it wouldn't leave. It just kept circling, because the patroni stayed between the dementor and the students. To make matters worse, another dementor was coming over the ridge. Harry sent a couple stunners and blasting curses, to no effect, even though they hit the dementor in the chest. The second dementor had joined with the first in the circle.

"I'm scared Harry," said Ginny. "What are they doing following us?" Ginny didn't know that all fifteen dementors were converging on their location, being followed by their keepers on brooms. As far as the keepers were concerned, they had a fox hunt, and the fox was as good as caught. The first dementor had a lock on its quarry, and the dementors could communicate with each other, to some extent, and coordinate an attack.

With the second dementor in the circle, Ginny was starting to feel the effects of the dementors. The dementors weren't bothering him, but he could feel Ginny's anxiety. The kneazle was being hunted, and running hadn't helped. Harry grabbed his bone handled stiletto, and charged the two dozen steps to the closest dementor. This confused the dementor, since prey never charges them. Dementors grab quivering prey.

The dementor was not prepared for the fang buried to the hilt in its side, and its confusion turned into agony. It fell down on the ground, writhing, flopping, and ... smoking. Smoke turned into fire. The energy that the dementors drew to them was being released.

The second dementor fled in the direction it came from. You know what happens when prey, or in this case, an enemy, runs from a cat. Cats give chase, even if they don't care about the runner. Harry cared about this one. Harry sprinted forty yards, and sank the stiletto in the back of the fleeing dementor. The second dementor quickly started writhing and smoking.

"Harry, let's get out of here," yelled Ginny.

Harry transformed to leave, and couldn't help the urge to scream, as he glanced at the burning piles. A lion's roar can be heard more than two miles. This scream wasn't a roar. It changed pitch, but it wasn't a screech either. It was LOUD, starting relatively low in pitch, and rising, before ending in low pitch again as it ended. It carried a bit farther than a lion's roar would have.

"Haarrrryyyy," said Ginny. Harry was by her side in seconds. Ginny planted her legs, grabbed two handfuls, and yelled, "Go!" And they were gone.

The keepers heard it. They had wondered why the dementors had turned around, and headed for the castle.

"What in the hell was that?" cried the first one.

"Don't know," said the second. "This IS the Forbidden Forest. Map says the signaling dementors are about half a mile ahead. The other keepers will meet those that are running back. Let's meet up with what the first two have cornered. Hey, they just disappeared off the locator!"

Three minutes later, they arrived at the smoking remains of the dementors. The keepers did not rush in to the scene of the fight.

"Bloody hell!" said the first. "What kills dementors?"

"Don't know," said the second. "Didn't think anything did. Look at these tracks. Looks like a cat. Big cat. And shoe prints. Trainers, most likely. Get the aurors here now. Set an apparition beacon. We have a problem. Huge problem."

"Done," said the first. "They will be here in five minutes, less more than likely. Ministry wants Pettigrew bad."

Harry and Ginny made a large circle, cruising about forty miles an hour, and they were coming up on the south side of the Hogwarts grounds. They had enough excitement for the day. Two small cats walked past the wards, and continued until they found a barn. They climbed into the hay loft, and transformed. Harry laid down, and Ginny put her head on his chest. They had been friends forever.

"Harry, they were following us," said Ginny. "Why would they do that?"

"Looks like they were," said Harry. "The patroni should have chased them off. They were targeting us."

"How did you kill them, Harry?" asked Ginny. "They are not supposed to be able to be killed. They are practically immortal."

"Remember my basilisk fang last year?" asked Harry. "I have half a dozen of them. Venom is saturated in the fang, over time. No living creature can survive the venom without an antidote. It appears that dementors are particularly susceptible. Just touching the fang could be lethal for people." He showed her the stiletto.

"Are we going to tell the others you can kill dementors?" asked Ginny?

"I don't think so," replied Harry. "It would raise more questions than I am willing to answer."

"I have never been that scared," said Ginny. "I hate those bloody things."

"We might find a way to kill them a bit easier," said Harry. "If I don't have to get close to them, I don't want to. They do not move all that fast. I am going to talk to Xavier."

"Want to go out by the lake, Harry?" asked Ginny. "I am not quite ready to go back in, and I need to work off some tension."

"Sure," replied Harry. They spent several hours walking around the grounds.

Back in the Ministry, things were still a bit more ... agitated. There was a meeting with Fudge, Hamilton, the Warden of Azkaban, Smith, the keepers' Department Head, Bones, the aurors' Department Head, and Shacklebolt, the auror in charge of the forensic investigation.

"What the hell happened out there?" yelled Fudge.

"A dementor locked on to something," said Smith. "The site monitor shows it was following at least one person. The location monitor showed the dementors were circling around a stationary position, then disappeared from the locator. The keepers nearest the position heard a beast scream just before the dementors disappeared."

Shacklebolt spoke up. "There was a very large cat there," explained Shacklebolt, " and two sets of foot prints. The foot prints were probably made by a man and a woman, since one set of prints are much smaller than the other. We found residual magical energy, but we were too late to identify the signature. The wizards must have apparated, after trying stunning and blasting curses. The cat is at least ten feet long, from front feet to back feet, and it took off running west. It has one hell of a stride, when running. We have no idea what killed the dementors. It could have been the cat, but we don't know what it is."

"It must have been Pettigrew," said Fudge. "Only You-Know-Who would have had a cat that dangerous. Pettigrew must have been trying to breach the wards on the west side, inside the Forbidden Forest."

"The dementors are ... upset," said Smith. "They are not as responsive to the medallions as they were. Two were killed, and they know it. They must realize what the two destroyed dementors were following, but we don't. We don't really have a good way of knowing why they do what they do. Pettigrew's signature did not show up on the monitor."

"Bones," said Fudge, "I want you to tell Dumbledore what happened." Fudge was going to put some distance between himself, and the dementor operation.

Dumbledore told his staff that some one, or some thing, killed two dementors. A person attracted the attention of a dementor, and the Ministry suspected Pettigrew. They had to remind students to stay away from dementors.

Dumbledore also knew when the two animagi left the school that day. He always knew when Harry and Ginny left the grounds. Hogwarts had the best wards available. He knew when the marauders took unauthorized trips through the wards. He also watched the twins, and a few others. The curfew and restrictions were in place to keep inexperienced students safe. He assessed the risk to the students pushing the rules, on a case by case basis. He trusted the marauders, as animagi, to stay safe, with Remus. Remus needed their support. He trusted Harry in the Forest. Harry had been trained by the best. Albus detested dementors. How in the hell had Harry killed two dementors?

Fudge! There was no reason for dementors to be near his school. He didn't think he could get any more angry at Fudge. Shit for brains! He would find a way to ensure this was Fudge's only elected term as Minister of Magic. Five more years!

Sirius stopped the training sessions with Harry in his training room. He didn't trust the dementors as far as he could throw them. Ginny would not leave the grounds again, as long as the dementors were there. Harry, however, had no qualms about messing with the dementors. He was making plans. He knew he was faster than them, and he knew he could destroy them. He was watching them patrol the perimeter, and looking for patterns. When he decided he was going, he would go. He wouldn't mind if he killed every one of them.

It just so happens he met with Kaasaar soon thereafter, and discussed the dementors with him.

_"Kaasaar,"_ asked Harry, _"have you been watching the dementors?"_

_"Yes, I have,"_ said the snake. _"I have watched their movements when I go to the Forest to hunt."_

_"They are keyed to follow me in my kneazle form,"_ said Harry. _"I have decided I am going to run their blockade."_

_"You don't have to do that, young one," _said Kaasaar. _"My access tunnel leaves the castle well under the wards. You could use it as easily as I do."_

_"I hadn't thought of that,"_ said Harry. _"I never had a need to, before. Where does it enter the Forest? How do you use the doors?"_

_"A simple command 'Open' in parseltongue opens the door, and it stays open until I am through it. It closes automatically," _explained the snake. _"I will show you where it enters the Forest. Follow me."_

The tunnel was a continuous smooth pipe on a moderate incline and gradual curves. There was absolutely no light. Harry didn't need much light to see, but this was as dark as indigo ink. Harry thought in the future he might try a low powered wandless lumos spell. Lumos is a ridiculously easy spell, and ought to be one of the simpler wandless spells. He followed the snake through the tunnel. He heard another 'open' command, and came out onto a wide ledge with an overhanging wall of rock above, and a small drop to a creek below.

_"Water cuts through the rocks on its way to Black Lake,"_ said the snake. _"Sometimes I go up over the top here, sometimes a little further down, or I have even followed it to the lake from time to time. I am an excellent swimmer. Go ahead and explore. You won't get lost. I am going to find an unfortunate spider."_ The snake disappeared into the night.

Harry took his small flying form, and flew up into the nearest tree above the gorge. There was a crescent moon, and he looked for landmarks. He knew exactly where he was. He was between the castle and Hogsmeade, but the lake was between the bluffs, and the path the students took into town. The boats brought the first years past this point. It was well on the other side of the wards. Good. He took off through the woods to watch the dementors make their circuit from this side. He stayed well away from them. He could have flown over the dementors, but there were too many possible eyes in the castle, and he would not risk being seen. He would have rather sprinted the wards at sixty miles an hour, in normal kneazle form, where he was most comfortable.

It would be time for breakfast in an hour, so he assumed his normal shape, and dropped into the gorge in a series of small jumps. He was soon in the tunnel, and back in the chamber. Kaasaar was already curled up, and sleeping, with a decent bulge in his belly. This was an interesting night. Strangely enough, now that Harry could easily leave, he only went out one Sunday afternoon to run with the unicorns. Harry was busy. He spent time with Pomfrey, Hagrid, McGonagall, the twins, Ginny, Kaasaar, and he had a full course load.

The study group was finished with Professor Lupin's patronus lessons. Harry continued with wandless magic sessions with McGonagall, and both of them had lightened themselves by about forty percent. They were also getting better with the wandless leviosa levitation. Harry had made some progress with wandless stunners, but he wouldn't know how effective it was until he saw Xavier. The wandless blasting hex was making divots in board targets.

Hermione made the animagus break through the last week of November. She was happy she had a way to resist the dementors. Anything to reduce the dementor effect. Harry was marking time with her. The group had a small celebration. Ginny was marking time with Ron, and he was doing well with arms and legs. Luna was advancing with Neville, who was nearly as far along as Ron. Minerva McGonagall was truly an outstanding teacher of the cat animagus form.

Albus was pleased for several reasons. He knew how much Minerva enjoyed teaching animagi, and he had known her for a long time. Several students would be animagi, and he knew how useful such ability could be. Most of all, he was happy no student had crossed the wards since the dementors had attacked that day. Not even the twins, and he couldn't really figure that one out, but the damned dementors were dangerous to anyone near the border these days. They were hungry again.

The twins broke through the same week Hermione did. In the same way that Harry was fully kneazle, the twins were an exact copy of Boy, only larger, because of the use of their potion. They could FEEL what they needed to be, and it was no problem for them to go to final form. They hadn't learned to do the clothing yet, but they would. Boy had lots of clothes. The stunning discovery was that they could talk to the spider monkeys. They just had to learn the language. They poured themselves into it as only the twins could. This continued to save a lot of students from pranks, because the twins had essentially shut down their pranking. Look out next term.

It took Hermione less than one week to make final form, from the large version of her brown house cat. Harry took her on the hallway run with Crookshanks. She was beyond happy. Crookshanks had watched her practice many hours, and was a little disappointed she couldn't communicate. That was a problem for another day. Maybe that would be a project for Harry and Professor McGonagall.

Hermione keyed Harry and herself into the Gryffindor cat tunnel. It was really simple. She did Harry, and Harry did the charm for her. It was designed for cats, and they were cat enough, it seems. Other pets were on a case by case basis. Harry didn't show her the wall tunnels. If she found them on her own, that was just fine. He wasn't ready for that. He was surprised she was out after curfew, but she really wanted to run with Crookshanks, and the dorm was not the place to do that. She didn't do it often, since end of term exams were upon them, and she was in full cram mode. There was only two more weeks until end of term.

No one had any problem staying busy the last couple weeks of term. Term ended, and everyone went home.

The only people that December was bad for, were the keepers. They were directing the perimeter search in the winter. Dementors aren't people, but they were agitated as well. Too bad, I suppose. Fudge had really expected results in the search for Pettigrew. The keepers reported nothing of value. Shacklebolt reported nothing of value. His investigation was stalled. He had taken a copy of the memory of the beast's scream, just before the dementors died. It was no help, since they could not match it up. No large cat met that description. Not even close. They all had a very defined roar. If they had increased the decibel value on the scream of a kneazle, they might have identified it. Shacklebolt never ever suspected a kneazle. Never.

Fudge had a major problem ... Pettigrew would never be found on the perimeter. Peter Pettigrew had been on a ferry from Kent, bound for France, as Dumbledore made his Sorting Feast announcements. He was so consumed with fear, that he had an effective 'notice me not' charm active in his animagus form, but he was not aware of it. Of course, it was picture perfect for the rat animagus. It is likely a predator would have caught him otherwise, on his long journey south, from the Azkaban ferry. He didn't become human one time, for any reason. He had made pretty good time, once he had made his way to a freight yard, and hopped on a train. Peter wanted out of Great Britain. He stayed hidden in the sewers and alleys of Paris, eating the left over cuisine of some of the world's best restaurants. He slowly recovered from his sojourn in Azkaban.


	14. Chapter 14 Dementors should have left

Chapter 14 Dementors Should Have Left

Harry didn't expect Xavier to be home when he arrived at the Figg compound. He would see him at breakfast. Harry dropped his stuff in his room, and went out to the barn. A few seconds later, a kneazle shot out the back. There wasn't any snow on the ground here, and Harry went out on the grounds to shake off the train ride. He found a brother and sister out on a perimeter run, and joined them. It did feel good to be home. He stayed with them until they finished their circuit. The family was denning in the back barn. There was nothing in the human world quite like this. He mused over what it would have been like if he hadn't went to Hogwarts. He liked Hogwarts, learning magic, and the human interaction. He really did, but this was immersion in comfortable belonging. He would always enjoy coming home. The human world was different than the kneazle world, but not better.

He met with Xavier after breakfast. Xavier didn't have anywhere he needed to go, so they talked for a couple hours.

"Dementors have attacked me twice," said Harry. "I don't want to give them another chance at me, or my friends. I don't like getting close to them, but I may kill a few more of them anyway. They are the worst sort of creature I have seen. They have only the simplest of emotions, and they always search to feed. I have watched them."

"I don't know anyone who likes them," said Xavier, "but the ministry uses those creatures to hunt and punish criminals. They have been kept on Azkaban Island for so long, people have forgotten what they really are. The Ministry won't like losing their pets."

"Do you think I should leave them alone?" asked Harry.

"I don't like Dementors either, Harry," said Xavier, "They are very dangerous. If you do start destroying them, it will be like kicking a Ministry hornet's nest. People won't be able to count the aurors and hit wizards in Hogsmeade. You won't get many shots at them, before it is entirely too dangerous to attempt. Is it worth it?"

"Have you ever been around them? asked Harry. "You wouldn't let them stay around here, would you? I can't think of a single good reason for them to exist. I can hunt them."

The Figg family partriarch was a warrior, from a long line of warriors. Xavier had never grew tired of his fascination with the English long bow, and introduced it to all of his children and grandchildren at one time or another. This was a perfect time to involve Harry, just a few months earlier than he planned.

"Harry," he said. "Let me tell you a story. Robin Hood, the outlaw, became an English legend with the long bow, with his accuracy at long distance archery. In his day, the bow was the most powerful, long distance weapon available for personal use. Hood's true genius was his ability to lead a small group of men to practically paralyze the corrupt local government. He used stealth tactics to strike fast, and disappear, robbing the corrupt nobility and their stewards. Another stroke of genius was using a large part of the spoils to keep local people fed, giving him a loyal support group. He became known as the highwayman who robs from the rich, and gives to the poor."

"Robin Hood was most likely an untrained, muggleborn wizard, using his innate magical ability to aim his bow. His father, a small land owner who worked the land himself, was cheated and murdered by the local baron. Hood became a living nightmare for the baron, costing the baron much more than he ever took by cheating Hood's father. A long distance arrow eventually killed the baron. The Sheriff of Nottingham was a bitter enemy of Hood. Many of the Sheriff's men died chasing Hood and his men into the forest. People learned very quickly not to chase head long into Sherwood Forest."

"I know I am long winded, and Robin Hood was a boyhood hero of mine. The reason I bring up Robin Hood, is his use of the English long bow. It would be perfect to hit the dementors at longer distances. All you have to do is soak the arrow head in some dementor killing basilisk venom. Wizards can easily protect themselves from arrows, if they are in a battlefield situation. A dementor, by itself, will have no protection. They normally don't need any."

Harry spoke up. "I wanted to talk to you about a different way of killing dementors. I want a way to kill them without getting so close to them. They hunt in a pack, and it looks like they are hunting ... me."

"This will do the job," said Xavier. "There is a variation I want to show you, once I teach you the basics of the bow."

"Does it take long to learn?" asked Harry.

"Let's go out an shoot a few," said Xavier. "There is nothing more English, than the long bow. Basic use is easy. You can spend a lifetime perfecting the equipment. There was a time when wizards used them as much as the muggles, before the secrecy act. The average man carried a sword also, and knew how to use it. Walking without a dagger was like going out naked. Wizard made weapons were vastly superior to muggle made weapons. Goblin made weapons are second to none. The wizarding world drifted away from weapons after the secrecy statutes. Long periods of peace have made wizards complacent, and dependent on their wands."

"Hagrid uses a crossbow," said Harry. "It is huge."

"I've seen Hagrid's bow," said Xavier. "The size of Hagrid's fingers makes handling a longbow a bit awkward. Sizing a long bow and arrows for him would have arrows the size of broom sticks. Hagrid is as strong as an ox, so loading the crossbow isn't a problem for him. His bow is actually small, for his size. The crossbow was invented so weaker individuals could use a powerful bow. Many crossbows have loading winches. A person doesn't need to practice as often to shoot a crossbow reliably. An experienced bowman can shoot a longbow many times before a cross bow is reloaded. Long bows made for the battlefield have a pull of as much as 200 pounds, and the average Englishman has to train for a long time to use it."

Xavier had a quiver of target arrows, and he trained Harry in the use of the longbow. Harry picked it up rapidly. Xavier had a charmed quiver that would cause all the target arrows to return to it if he touched his wand to a particular button, and said, "Repeto." They emptied the quiver several times.

"Now that you have the basics," said Xavier, "I am going to show you some tricks. Watch."

Xavier put a target arrow on the ground, and held his wand over it. He cast several spells quietly. "Subiungo." The arrow snapped up parallel to the wand, and about two inches below it. "Intendo. Rego. Vado." The arrow flew straight to the center of the target. He repeated the sequence three times. Four arrows were crowded around the center of the target.

"Sam showed me that many years ago," explained Xavier. "As with all magic, it takes a bit of practice to associate your magic with a key word. Subiungo attaches the arrow to your launching point. The launching point can be anywhere you are comfortable with. Intendo aims the arrow where you want it to go. I need to see the target to use it well. Rego sets up the guide path, so wind doesn't affect the arrow's flight as much. You can launch without rego. Hell, all you have to use is vado, and the arrow flies however it flies. I imagine a tube for the arrow to fly through. I don't have to have a straight line of sight, using rego. Turns can't be too tight. Vado launches the arrow to the target. I can vary the force I use to launch it. Nice trick, developed by assassins. I would like you to get good with it. Want to try? Amazingly enough, this isn't complex magic."

They worked with the arrows for another hour, and headed back in to the training room. Harry wasn't able to use the arrow spells yet. Xavier opened up a case, and put it on the table.

"I want you to be able to transfigure your own arrows. This one is six inches long, with an armor piercing, four sided solid metal head. This one I call the flying ice pick, for obvious reasons. This is the dart. Here is the razor blade. This is the ripper. I worked on these for a while. Here in the case is a copy of my notes, with several transfiguration spells. You can add your own, of course."

He opened up another case. "Target practice again." Xavier had miniature arrows that looked more like darts. He set up a target on the far wall. "Subiungo. Intendo. Rego. Vado." The dart hit the target. He touched his wand to a button in the case. "Repeto. I want you to take both of these with you. I have several. I made these last month, with you in mind. I was going to show you next summer, but you might be able to use them earlier. Make yourself a suitable small arrow with basilisk venom. I imagine you can obtain some, right? I have a section of books in my den on arrow design. Feel free to browse through them. Nice weapon, the arrow. Last, but not least, see if you can make your incantations as quiet as possible, if not completely silent. Better yet, since you are learning wandless magic, make them wordless and wandless from the start. Take your time. Experiment. Stealth could be the name of the game, with these tools. Don't forget to play with the long bow." Xavier smiled, and walked out the door.

Harry started working with the minatures. It was obvious it was going to take him a while to even use them, let alone get good with the miniature arrows. A couple hours disappeared before he realized it. He put his cases away, and went to the Burrow. He climbed the tree, and waited at the window sill. Ginny let him in.

"Hi Harry," said Ginny. "How is your holiday going?"

"Pretty good," replied Harry. "It is good to be home. I get so busy at school, I forget what it is like to be here."

"I worked with Ron some last night, for his cat form. He just has his head to go, and I think he is a bit afraid to make the final plunge. I can understand that. He isn't actually trying to make the full change here at home. We don't dare get on the wrong side of Mum. She wouldn't hurt us, or anything. She just worries about us. I think I worry about hurting her feelings more that I worry about her hurting mine. Ron and I drifted apart after he went to school a couple years ago, and this gives us something in common again, other than flying. I don't care who did what, in quidditch. I just like to fly. Ron reads quidditch books, if he reads anything. Exploding snap is boring, and he consistantly beats me in chess."

"Xavier taught me archery today," said Harry. "He has made quite a hobby of it. It will take me a while to get any good with it. It looks interesting."

"Why?" asked Ginny. "You don't need it for hunting."

"Dementors might make interesting targets," said Harry.

"I see your point," said Ginny. "I thought they had us again that day in the Forest. You made killing them look easy."

"It was," said Harry. "It looks like all I need is the right weapon. I had no idea a basilisk fang would be so effective. I didn't think we could run away from them, the way they were following us. I didn't really want to touch them with my teeth and claws. Their effect is supposed to be worse when touching them, so I tried the fang. Works great. I don't go anywhere without one, now."

"Where did you find those?" asked Ginny. "I think I've been most everywhere you have been."

"Deep in the lower sections, near the dungeons," replied Harry. "A basilisk shed its skin down there some time ago, with a few fangs as well. I store them in discarded dragon hide gloves. They are very poisenous. The tough basilisk skin looks like it would make good leather goods. It doesn't rot. It looks like it was just shed. The skins are a bit dusty though."

"I wonder if the basilisk is still around," said Ginny. "That would be an awful surprise. I think I would rather see a dementor."

"It's still deep in the castle," said Harry, remembering how nervous she was the first time. "I would have taken you to see him, but I know how uncomfortable you would be."

"I could handle it, Harry," said Ginny. "I'm not a child." Harry could sense her getting upset.

"Ginny," said Harry. "I am a kneazle. I know how you would feel around a creature you can't talk to. Especially one with a reputation for causing instant death. This one protects the school."

"I don't like you not telling me," said Ginny. "I am not the baby my brothers think I am."

"Would you hang around dementors and acromantulas, if you thought they were safe?" asked Harry.

"No," said Ginny vehemently. "Those things make my skin crawl."

"Would a basilisk make your skin crawl?" asked Harry.

"Probably," said Ginny, a little sheepishly. "I just don't want you to treat me like my brothers. They think I am still six years old."

"Kneazles always support each other," said Harry. "I wouldn't expect any less from you."

"Thank you, Harry," said Ginny. "I will pass, for now, on meeting the basilisk. What are you doing for Christmas?"

"Nothing, really," replied Harry. "It is just another day, for me. I usually get gift cards for my friends. I know it is an important holiday for many people."

"It has always been a big deal, for us," said Ginny. "Mum and Dad take any excuse for a big meal, and get together. They splurge a bit on Christmas for gifts. You could come over, you know."

"You know I have been here for Christmas before," said Harry.

"You were Green Eyes then, silly," said Ginny.

"Still am," said Harry grinning. "Let's go see the twins." Harry kneazled.

Ginny walked downstairs, and knocked on their door. A couple minutes later, it opened.

"Ah, ickle Gin-Gin and Green Eyes," said George. "Come in, come in." Fred locked the door behind them.

"We've been talking to Atch and Micha," said Fred. "All that chattering they do makes sense, with ears that have a different range of sounds. Atch doesn't mind being called Boy. The name Girl doesn't hurt Mitcha's feelings either. They were raised in captivity. They detest the compulsion charms, so we got rid of them. They trust us, since we have been working on the transformation."

"We got rid of the silly clothes we had on them," said George. "Thanks for helping us with the first ones, Ginny. We can transform now with our robes, and we are dressing them in wizard clothing now, for the most part. Just not quite as long. I don't think most people will be able to tell us apart from them, anyway."

"We wanted to be spider monkeys for pranking purposes. Our form quest pushed us toward these little guys," said Fred, "but we didn't dream we would get so attached to them. We hoped we could train them to help with pranks, and now I know they can prank. Thanks for helping us with the transformation. If you ever need anything, let us know."

"How is Ron coming along on his form?" asked George. "He went over to Longbottom's today. Old lady Longbottom won't care if they do magic. She was so afraid Neville was a squib for the longest time."

"Ron is close to finished," said Ginny. "This has his nose out of quidditch books."

"What about the rules for underage magic?" asked Harry. "Won't they get in trouble if they practice?"

"Nope," said Fred. "Ministry doesn't care about wizarding households, unless the underage wizard gets in trouble. That is really only watched for the secrecy act. Sucks to be muggleborn. We would have never learned anything, otherwise. Mum doesn't mind potions, so much. We use minor wand work, at best."

"Mum is quite the stickler for no magic," said Ginny. "I think she worries too much. With prats like you boys, it's no wonder she worries. Bill and Charlie gave her fits. It's no wonder Bill is a curse breaker, and Charlie chases dragons. She got a bit of a break with Percy, but then you guys showed up."

"Ron's only problem is that he thinks with his mouth," said Fred. "The word impulsive was designed for Ron. If it wasn't for Harry and Hermione, the lazy git probably wouldn't get any OWLs, not that we are planning many. We only need a couple, to use our wands at the end of this year. We just won't be considered adults. We will get OWLs in potions, charms, and transfiguration. I can't believe Ron stayed with the animagus transformation. It takes continued effort."

"Don't take the mickey out of him, guys, he's not that bad," said Ginny. "This means a lot to him. He doesn't know you are animagi. Do you think Bill was an animagus?"

"No idea," said George. "If he is, he hid it well."

"I'm going to head toward home," said Harry. "I didn't plan on staying more than an hour. The holiday won't last long." Ginny and Green Eyes headed back to her room. Harry jumped into the tree, and was gone.

Harry spent the 'lions share' of his holiday kneazled. He showed up for breakfast, and spent about four hours in the training room split between shooting the darts, some spells at targets, or some field time with the long bow. Nearly all of the time at the Burrow was spent as Green Eyes. Harry basked in the relaxation of this holiday. Sirius visited a few times, and spent his time Padfooting. Harry had enjoyed his previous Christmas kneazling. The only negative had been that Dobby had forced him to stay kneazled. Harry did not like being forced, anytime. The Figgs had several wooded acres, and Sirius enjoyed himself immensely.

A couple days before Harry went back to school, Xavier gave him a political lesson. Xavier went out in the field to shoot a few quivers of arrows with the long bow. While they were shooting, Xavier bent his ear.

Xavier spoke, as he shot. "Harry, I told you a bit about my boyhood hero, Robin Hood. Strangely enough, Voldemort uses the same methods Robin did. Strike fast, and disappear. It works great, with a little support. Voldemort has the support of power mad, so-called pure blood old families. The difference between the two was motive, and who we would rather see succeed. Robin Hood went down in history as a hero, and Voldemort is marsh scum. They were both terrorists, and believe me, Robin Hood terrorized the corrupt baronage. Robin probably could have assumed a lot of political power, but he chose not to, for what ever reason. He had the leadership ability. It doesn't matter, really, whether history reports a person as hero, or villain. What does matter is what is happening today, and whom we want in control. Robin Hood took apparently took pleasure in bedeviling his personal nemeses, and stopped at that. He didn't take a position of power in the feudal system of the day."

Xavier continued, "A conflict of any magnitude usually has two supporting components. The first is an emotional component to justify conflict. Robin was satisfied with vengence. The second is a foundational monetary component. One can always follow the money to key players. Robin affected the local monetary supply, somewhat whimsically. Those in power control money, or they don't keep power."

He finished with this, "As head of House Potter, you need to be aware of this. If you do not get involved, someone else will. The ruling families let Grindewald and Voldemort come to power. The families were manipulated by their vanity. Some of the families didn't have a suitable successor, who had the talent, or desire to get involved. You have money and political position. Do you have the talent and desire? You will get to find out. You have four more years until you can assume control."

Harry replied, shooting three arrows as quickly as he could, hitting the body of the four foot target at fifty yards. "I don't really know what I want to do about House Potter. I want to be a healer."

Xavier laughed, "You're not supposed to know now, Harry. You are thirteen. You just need to be aware of your options. A lot can happen in four years. I am just going to feed you information." Xavier was grouping his arrows a lot tighter in his target.

Harry asked, " What do you think about me killing a few more dementors? I have a strong desire to get rid of them."

Xavier replied, "It would draw a lot of attention. No matter what, you will stir up a hornet's nest when they disappear in a cloud of smoke. I gave you the equipment and information to protect yourself. What you do with it is your choice. I have no love for dementors. I would like to see them all gone. Don't get hurt, and don't get caught. I have no doubt you know how to hunt, and remain unseen. That may be the kneazles' greatest skill. The ministry would proverbially draw and quarter you, and anyone with you. Use all of your skill to stay hidden."

"If dementors come for me," Harry said, " they die. They might die anyway." Harry and Xavier picked up their equipment, and walked back in.

Harry boarded the train the next day. It had been a very fast two weeks. The six found a compartment and settled in for the trip back to school. Simple silencing wards were the first wards Hermione had learned in arithmancy.

They spoke of the holidays for a while. They had enjoyed the break from school with family. Several rounds of 'thank you' were bounced back and forth, for christmas gifts received, whether they liked the gift, or not. Hermione knew Ron liked to play chess, and she had bought him some board games she thought he might like. Ron and Neville had both taken to the games, as teenage boys have for years. Their favorite was a game called Risk. They set up a table between the seats. Ron, Neville, Luna, and Hermione played. Ginny made a sketch of the scene, and Harry read a book on the history of the bow and arrow, with chapters on design and flight characteristics.

Harry's mind drifted to the centaurs. He really hadn't had anything to do with them, but he had watched them from afar. They carried bows, and practiced quite a bit. Harry had watched their youth being trained. He wondered if he should talk to them. They had small fields of grain, a few orchards, and hunted for meat. Hagrid had mentioned them in passing, saying centaurs tended to isolate themselves from all others deep in the woods. They won't harm students, but they don't like people in what they consider their domain. Hagrid said they were immersed in astrology and divination, spending hours watching the sky. Harry had been at Hogwarts two and a half years, and had not tried to talk to them. He spent most of his time with the unicorns, which were very similar to kneazles in their ability to communicate emotionally and ... visually, if that is the proper word. The unicorns liked to run as much as Harry did, and they were fun to be around. Harry didn't feel threatened by centaurs, but he wasn't quite drawn to them, either. They were ... odd. They were denizens of the deep forest, and Harry thought it was time he make contact.

Xavier had given him a couple bows, with target arrows, and a couple targets. They were in magical cases that weren't much larger than broom cases. Most people would suspect that was what they were. As soon as it warmed up a bit, he would go deep into the Forest for target practice, not too far from where the centaurs taught their young ones. If they avoided him, that was that. He wanted them to approach him.

He had plenty to do in the mean time. There was quite a bit to do in the winter with Hagrid and Sirius. Getting livestock through the winter was always busy. Pomfrey had Harry busy as well. They were studying bones and joints this term. He could already heal a simple break. Joints were more complicated. Last term had been diagnostics and superficial injuries. Next year he would start internal organs. If everything went as he hoped, St. Mungos would accept him for training. He was sure that most of what he learned from Pomfrey would also work with other mammals, and even reptiles and birds. He wanted to be a healer, but he would not limit what he learned to people.

Ron and Neville were really getting into the game, as Harry's thoughts drifted to his favorite teacher. They had a decent start on what one could call innate, or internal, magic. The wandless magic some of the magical creatures could do was a good example, as was the wandless 'accidental magic' of human children. He was looking forward to testing his ability to control his weight while flying. Kaasaar had the deadliest of toxins, and skin that was nearly impervious to magic. Dragons had fire, reptillian skin similar to Kaasaar that made them resistant to magical attack, and the power of flight that had to have some similarities to pegasi and thestrals. Dragons were large and powerful. He would like to spend some time with them. It was easy to see why Hagrid was drawn to dragons.

Thestrals were practically invisible, strong, and could control their weight in flight, or on the ground. Harry suspected they made the carraiges lighter when they transported the students to the school. Unicorns had near perfect health, healed physical injury quickly, and were especially sensitive to the emotions of others. Harry was very familiar with kneazles, and there were a host of other magical animals to investigate, with their magic. The little niffler, for example, could find gold. How could it do that? Harry was sure he could enjoy working with McGonagall and Hagrid for years.

The Risk game took a while to finish. As soon as they were done, they ate some snacks, and played again. The game was better when everyone was familiar with it. It was a combination of strategy, luck, and good natured teasing. The trip was, otherwise, uneventful.

Harry jumped right into his spring term with both feet. Ginny asked him about it one night, while they were studying in the twin's hidden study. The twins were in full pranking fever, and quite distracted.

"Harry, why do you study so hard?" asked Ginny. "I don't think Percy drives himself harder than you, and he is so ambitious, he should have been in Slytherin, or at least Ravenclaw, with the way he attacks books. Don't you ever just want to have fun?"

"This is all fun," said Harry. "Maybe not Binn's history class, but I like being here. Most of what I do, I enjoy. I don't get bored. Is there something you would rather be doing?"

"I don't want to be sitting here writing this essay," said Ginny. "I would like to go out with you in the Forest, but it is too cold to be fun. Even if I was good at warming charms, there is the bloody dementors. I can't think of any place in the castle I want to go that we haven't been to. I don't have your fascination for school work. I want to do something ... different. I don't get anything out of pranking. Just ... something."

"So, you are saying you need a project?" asked Harry.

"Maybe," said Ginny. "I know your cat form is different from mine, well, all of us. You are stronger. You sense things that we can't. How do you do that?"

"I don't really know how I do it," said Harry. "I don't know how to describe the magic involved in being kneazle. I have been kneazle most of my life. I don't really think about it. I have been studying how magical creatures use their magic. We could see if you can learn kneazle traits. What would you like to be able to do?"

"Strength and speed would be nice," said Ginny. "I would like to be able to keep up with you in the Forest. The way kneazles talk to each other is brilliant too."

"I've been studying the magic thestrals use to fly," said Harry. "They control their weight by some sort of levitation magic. That let's me fly with a larger form, and it makes me faster on the ground. I have a new problem with being faster. It is much harder for me to change direction with my new speed. I can't chase properly, if I am lighter. It throws off my coordination. I need to not only make myself lighter, I also need to force myself in a particular direction if I am using what I call thestral magic, and I can't do that well yet. It takes a lot of practice. You know I have been working on wandless magic. This is a special application, similar in ways to the animagus transformation. You have to concentrate on your body to accomplish your goal. I can show you what I have been doing."

"Learning how to be an animagus took a lot longer that learning any of the charms and transfigurations here at school," said Ginny. "Will we have to do the same thing for each wandless spell?"

"Maybe," said Harry. "Wands make learning magic much easier. I know learning new spells has gotten easier over time in my regular classes. I hope the same thing holds true for wandless skills."

"Why don't more people learn wandless spells?" asked Ginny. "McGonagall is amazed she has six students, three of which already know the transformation. I would have never tried it, if it hadn't been for you and the book. Looking back, I am amazed I was successful."

"I have thought a lot about why more people don't try," said Harry. "Magic is more about intent and practice, than anything else, other than the necessary ability. Wandless magic takes too much time to learn, compared to a similar skill with a wand. Hermione became an animagus to defend herself from dementors. Luna did it to spend time with her friends, as did Ron and Neville. Ron continued it because it's different, and it's Gryffindorish, if that is a word. He will be lucky if he doesn't get hurt, as a cat. He is likely to either injure himself, or try to intimidate someone, who will turn their wand on him."

"McGonagall is a powerful and accomplished Transfiguration Master, with her wand," Harry continued, "but the only advantage she has over a house cat, is her intelligence. She is nearly powerless as a cat, in comparison. She is an animagus for entertainment reasons. Xavier is a warrior, and he explained to me how easily I could get hurt by an experienced wizard. Even the formidable dragon, with its mighty fire and resistance to magical attack, is susceptible to a single, trained wizard who wants it dead. My greatest strength, as an animagus, is anonymity and stealth. Few people know I am a cat. I came to Hogwarts for entertainment, strangely enough. What would you like to learn first?"

"I would like to be a stronger cat," said Ginny. "I want to be faster."

"I think you should first try to be a stronger girl," said Harry, " and it should carry over into your cat form."

"What do you mean, Harry?" asked Ginny. "I want to be a fast cat."

"This is physical magic," said Harry, "and you mainly change your shape, as an animagus. There are some odd differences, like how a dementor affects one form worse than the other, but you are still a physical body. There must be some subconscious changes when a person takes animal form. McGonagall said it is nearly impossible to become an animagus if a person doesn't have some physical contact with the form they want, to facilitate some of the fine points that are difficult to put into words. What the twins did with the potion was a stroke of genius. They became transfigured copies of their actual, final form, and learned tremendously from it. I would suggest you try physical movements that require more strength, and try to assist those movements with your magic. You will also naturally become stronger, with regular exercise. You should come running with me."

"It's too bloody cold to run," said Ginny. "There is snow on the ground."

"That is just another area to use your skills as a witch," said Harry. "There are warming charms to avoid hypothermia and frozen lungs. Look at what fire salamanders do. We can run at night as cats, in the castle. It is huge, when we are in cat form. Deep in the dungeons, I know there are some large rooms and tunnels. We can make a place to run down there."

"What can I do, without running?" asked Ginny. "I don't like to run, as much as you do."

"Pomfrey showed us some exercise equipment St. Mungos uses to help people recover from physical injuries. We can use something similar here. I will show you some pictures tomorrow."

The next day they went to the hospital wing, and looked at pictures of equipment that was available for muscular rehabilitation. There were weighted balls, weights with handles, and machines with spring cables in the catalog. There was clothing that was charmed to be heavy, and some charmed to be light. Harry ordered several items, and had the cost taken from his account at Gringotts. The equipment arrived the next day, and Harry took the equipment to the twin's lounge. Harry showed Ginny how to use it.

"Just using this equipment normally will make you stronger," explained Harry. "What I think you should be doing is concentrating on using your magic to assist your muscles, to power your muscles. You will know it is working when you can use higher settings. Strength is just the beginning. Next, you have to get comfortable with your new strength to be able to use it, or you will be a bit of a klutz."

"What do you mean, Harry?" asked Ginny.

"I can't move as well in larger forms as I can in my native kneazle form," said Harry. "It gets much worse when I try to make myself lighter. I need to learn a whole new way of moving, when I don't weigh so much. It changes everything. Metamorphmagi experience a similar problem with they are not in their natural form. One of the books I read in the infirmary for Madam Pomfrey said that teenage boys are known to trip over their own feet, when in a major growth spurt, as they get used to their longer legs. Everything takes practice, when making physical changes."

"What have I got myself into?" asked Ginny. "This is going to be a lot of work."

"Sure is," said Harry. "I doubt you will stop with just being stronger. Physical magic is fun. You might even like running, before it is over."

"Right, I will like running as much as you do," smirked Ginny, as she used the leg machine. "This is already getting old. I am supposed to concentrate on my magic assisting my muscles?" Ginny would sleep good tonight.

Ginny had two friends, in her short life. Harry stood out, in a strange way ... even for the wizarding world ... as a cat she had gotten close too, that turned out to be her story book hero. The story book hero was nothing like real life, and real life had blossomed into a secret friendship that was stranger than fiction.

Growing up, Luna and Ginny had had countless tea parties that included a fictional Harry Potter, dolls, stuffed toys, and wizarding characters like Merlin and the founders. Ginny had became a cat, as had Luna. Her friendship with Luna was, again, as odd as her friendship with Harry, with her nargles, snorkacks, and affinity with ghosts and denizens of the spirit world. Neither girl cared for make-up, clothes, or gossip ... which put them on the outs with most of their classmates ... no common hobbies. The only thing that kept Luna from taking top educational honors for her year was her comments on creatures ... that didn't even exist in mythology, and her professors would take points off of her essays for it. Luna would never be the teachers' favorite politically, and that kept her down in the bottom upper ten percent, with Ginny. Ginny just couldn't get excited enough about school work to get the extra credit to take top honors in her year either. They would never be the teacher's pet, but as a pair, there was little the two girls couldn't learn, if they wanted to.

They embraced the study of wandless, physical magic with nearly as much fervor as Harry. Luna joined Ginny in strength training, as they spent quite a bit of time together anyway. The exercise equipment started them on strength training, but it was dead boring. They put their strength training to work as cats, on their forays into the castle. Luna's friendships with the ghosts took them deep into other areas of the castle that Harry would likely never see, since Harry had stopped most of his exploration. He didn't have time for it.

Harry took his bows and arrows to the Chamber of Secrets. He practiced using the darts down there. He brought some wood in from the Forest for making his arrows. The books said it was generally easier to transfigure wood into stable arrows, than to make arrows from something else. Wood wasn't the only material to use for arrows, but it was strong, and relatively light. Magic could make some really good wooden arrows. It was possible to make the heads metalic, if a person wanted. Kaasaar was paying close attention.

_"I haven't seen students making arrows in quite some time," _said Kaasaar. _"Those are quite small. Are you making crossbow bolts?"_

_"These will be dementor killers,"_ replied Harry. _"I am making the front section strong and porous. Would you mind giving me some venom for my project? I want to kill them without getting too close."_

_"I will give you venom," _replied the snake. _"You will need magic reinforced glass containers from an apothacary shop. You could probably get a few from the infirmary. I don't have to remind you to be careful with the venom. I will give you some of the antivenom, as well."_

_"How do I use antivenom?" _asked Harry.

_"Pour some in the wound,"_ replied Kaasaar. _"It won't repair damage, but it will stop the spread of the toxin. The antivenom is a useful antidote for most, if not all, venom in the world, whether from insects or animals. My venom has characteristics of them all. There aren't that many different types of venom."_

_"I am going to cast the bolts the same way I have been using those darts," _said Harry. _ "I will just be using a magic hardened, wooden arrow. It is very similar to one of Xavier's target darts. It has good weight and flight characteristics."_

_"That is similar to an assassin's technique taught here to a couple apprentices, about five hundred years ago,"_ said Kaasaar. _ "Very effective, when unexpected."_

_"Xavier gave me several books on archery,"_ said Harry. _ "I have been studying trajectory and launching force. I should be able to toss these at least 200 yards, if I arc them high enough, and follow through until they hit. I just have to keep practicing for a while. The dementors have a reliable trail around the Hogwart's wards. They don't vary much at all. Xavier said they can only sense me about 100 yards. Dementors are blind. They won't know what hit them. I will only get one or two free runs at them. After that, they will be protected by aurors, most likely. Then the hunt might get ... interesting. I hope to be ready by full moon in April. With any luck, there might be a little snow on the ground. I can see a long way if there is snow."_

Everyone in McGonagall's animagus club was able to make the transformation during the first week of February. There was fine tuning left, but overall mood in the class was great. Harry could sense that Ron wasn't as dedicated to the idea of making his form smaller. The Professor was able to get him motivated by announcing she had a classroom set up with obstacles, tunnels, and charmed toys to chase, when everyone was able to make final form. They would used their claws climbing, use their eyes in dimly lit conditions, and generally become acquainted with their cat forms. It would take them a while to get used to being four footed, if they wanted to get maximum entertainment value of their forms. She decided to lead them into a discussion concerning the advantages they would have, now that they were animagi.

"Now that all of you have made the transformation, what do you want to do with it?" asked McGonagall. "Hermione?"

"I wanted to learn, so I could defend against those ... dementors," said Hermione, "I hope I never get near them again. Actually, I think I will relax better in cat form, for some reason. I do want to spend time with Crookshanks, as well. I wish I could communicate better with him. Kneazles are known to communicate with each other, and while he is not fully kneazle, he seems to be very intelligent."

"I also find that I relax better, as a cat," said McGonagall. "Ron?"

"I think I would be an awesome fighter, in this form," said Ron. "I feel powerful."

"There is that, when push comes to shove," said Minerva, "but a wizard can make short work of you, when the element of surprise is over. Ron, I believe I have heard you want to be a keeper, when Wood graduates this year. Is this the case? Many of the physical attributes we learn as animagi carry over into human form. What can you say about the hand-eye coordination of a cat, with respect to the keeper position?"

"Bloody hell!" yelled Ron. "That would be awesome. What sort of toys did you say the room would have?"

"Oh, I think there might be something to practice hand-eye coordination," she replied. "That might give you some extra incentive to keep your abilities ... discreet. Neville?"

"I just joined to spend time with my friends," said Neville, "but I think I feel better about myself for doing this. I will always be happy I did."

"Neville, not only have you accomplished something that few wizards care to take the time to do," said McGonagall, "but your confidence level is likely to rise, as you become more familiar with your form. Cats are, first and foremost, predators. There is a lot about magic we don't understand, and one aspect of the animagus transformation stands out, from all others. Animagi pick up at least some of the personality traits of the species they transform into. Some … experts … think the personality traits must exist in the wizard, or the transformation is not possible. We do not know why this happens. This aspect of the transformation is just one of several reasons I was pleased you all decided to become cats. You will all probably develop a sense of independence and confidence. Cats can also be territorial and too curious for their own good."

"Why would anyone want to be a rat?" asked Neville.

"Every species has developed useful survival traits," said McGonagall, " and rodents have been around for thousands of years. Rats may not be appreciated for some of their abilities, even though Pettigrew may give credence to their negative image. They are social animals, persistant, and many are excellent at evading danger. They can squeeze through places one would think impossible to pass. They can swim through filled water pipes. Thankfully, most are not very intelligent and are easily distracted by food, for in the real world, they litter every 30 days. Most predators include them in their diet ... another negative association with them."

"I can't believe I had one as a pet," said Ron. "What was I thinking? Next time, I am getting an owl."

"They can make devoted pets," said Minerva. "Every species has unusual individuals."

"Professor," asked Ginny, "now that we have made the transformation, what else can we do?"

"We are magical, and magic knows few limits," said the professor. "It really depends on how much time you are willing to devote to the subject, and any natural affinity you have. Animagi have been my hobby for a long time, and I am learning new things, to this day. I can't think of any way to make a living as an animagus, but I will be active in the hobby as long as I live. The wizarding world limits itself, in its bigotry, and it regards non-humans with disdain, to our detriment. You will find the wizarding world tends to hold animagi in contempt, as less than human, for having the desire for the ability. Most people are not surprised that a Transfiguration Master has the ability, from a novelty standpoint, but wonder why a ... normal ... person would want to be an animal. I assure you, should you want to continue the study, you will find it personally rewarding. You might want to keep your ability to yourself and trusted friends. You will register with the ministry when you graduate, but you are not required to do more than register your form, and its distinguishing characteristics, when you take your transfiguration NEWT ... which I hope all of you will take. They really only require a photograph."

"What do I need to do, to be smaller?" asked Ron.

"You have done the difficult part," said Minerva. "Size is a continuation of the process that you ... internalize. I am pleased you all have been successful in the necessary transfiguration of clothing, and various other articles on your person. Not all animagi have found that to be as easy as you have. You all seem to have had ... compelling motivation. I expected your to observe proper decorum, you knew it, and I am proud of your accomplishment." She stood up, and made herself the size of an elf.

"You see," she said in a quieter voice, "the changing of your size is not limited to your animagus form. You ARE magical. This may be how giants entered the world, a very long time ago, when physical size was most important in combat. We don't know why giants appear to be so ... stupid. You really want to keep this quiet, but this is an offshoot of the animagus transformation we are using. Some people teach it is necessary to go to final form immediately, but this is not true. You know how giants are treated. I can think of no reason to want to draw attention to yourself. There is no good reason to want to make oneself larger, in this day and time. I show you this for ... educational purposes."

She returned to normal size, and said, "Now that you can make the transformation, I caution you to not abuse the ability." She looked at Hermione. "We know when you are out past curfew." Then she looked at Harry, "We know when you leave the grounds, animagus or not. Do not forget the dementors, vile things. Also, remember the Forbidden Forest is dangerous, if for no other reason, there is a large nest of acromantula there. I am Deputy Headmistress, and I am fully aware of the protections laid on the property. Curfew really is for your safety. I do not mind if animagi play in the halls, from time to time, after curfew, since it is a somewhat safer place to practice your forms. If you draw attention to yourself with this ability, I must come down on you hard, and I really do not want to do that. Please, be safe, and be careful. Enjoy yourselves. Your restriction to transform only in training is hereby lifted. Next week, we will go to the toy room."

Harry was practicing the darts later that night, in the Chamber, when Kaasaar returned from one of his trips.

_"Kaasaar, how goes hunting?" _asked Harry.

_"Good, as always," _replied the snake._ "I was listening to your animagus training today. Your group has been mostly successful."_

_"Yeah, just some size modification, for Neville and Ron remains,"_ said Harry. _"McGonagall said the staff always knows when we violate curfew, or leave the grounds. Is this true?"_

_"That is true for most of the grounds and the castle,"_ replied Kaasaar. _"The Headmaster does not know about me, the Chamber, or my exit beneath the wards. There are no wards in the walls you and I travel in, and the house elves will not tell the staff, unless there is a threat. Salazar thought that no one other than I or the elves would travel the walls. Personal knowledge of me, and the Chamber, was lost long ago. The wards show me as a pet snake, if they show me at all. At this time, you are at an unknown location inside the castle, as you have not crossed any wards since you entered the castle. How did you enter the Chamber?"_

_"From Gryffindor Tower,"_ replied Harry. _"Through the loo."_

_"Then that is where you still are, according to every normal entry way," _said Kaasaar. _"They really don't check very often, nor do they have a need to. They watch the perimeter wards closely." _

_"Thanks for the information," _said Harry. _"I am going hunting for dementors in the spring, once I get good enough with these small arrows."_

_"That will cause some excitement," _said Kaasaar. _"What is your plan?"_

_"I am going to kill three or four on the south perimeter, and then run to your tunnel," _said Harry._ I will watch the excitement from inside the castle wards. I will be working in the sheep barns that night. Now I know to watch which doors I use. It will all depend upon how fast I can move. Sunday, I am going out to practice with the bow. Depending on how that goes, I will try the darts."_

_"That should draw the centaurs to you," _said Kaasaar. _"Not much goes on in the Forest, that they don't notice. They like their bows."_

_"Should I be worried?"_ asked Harry. _ "I had thought to talk to them sometime this term."_

_"They have a long standing arrangement with the school," _said Kaasaar. _ "They will not assault a student who does not harm them. They are not generally friendly with outsiders. They do have limited contact with the Headmasters. They claim the Forest as their own, as do the Headmasters. I have never had to kill one. They are aware of me. They call me Spider Killer. They also kill spiders that stray too near their farms. They know how to use those bows, not that they could harm me easily. They will want to know your plans with the bow."_

_"Thanks for the information, Kaasaar,"_ said Harry. _"I could listen to you for hours. I must get ready for breakfast."_

_"You remain interesting, Harry," _said the snake. _ "Until next time." _

Ginny, Luna, and Harry used the pet entrances to the tower a few times, mainly because it was expected. Harry told them if they used the loo tunnels, they had to come back that way, because the pet entrances counted their usage of them. Luna spoke with her head of house about using the Ravenclaw pet tunnel, since Ravenclaw paid much closer attention to curfew than Gryffindor. The Slytherin rule was 'Don't Get Caught', and no one wanted to get on the wrong side of Snape. Hufflepuffs, by and large, obeyed curfew. Hermione and Crookshanks only went out in the castle on weekends, since she spent most of the rest of her free time studying, or reading. Everyone had to be careful to avoid students in their common rooms, since all of the pets were known. Stray cats would be noticed, and comments would be made.

The toy room was a lot of fun. Hermione brought Crookshanks with her. Harry and his friends weren't so old that they couldn't enjoy an obstacle, climbing, tunneling wonderland. The room would have been a hit at any county fair. Youngsters would have been carried out sleeping. There were balls on string, soft bludgers, snitches ... all manner of cat toys were there. Ron was particularly fond of a quaffle McGonagall had made that would make random runs at a small quidditch ring, if there was a talisman hanging from the ring. Ron and Neville were spending a lot of time on their animagus transformation, to the detriment of their normal studies, and had been able to reduce their size to about half of the final goal. Their friendship had become quite solid. The others didn't have any problem matching their size, for some of the wrestling they were doing, claws in, of course.

Sunday morning, Harry went down to the Chamber to get ready for his trip into the Forest for bow practice. He made his case hover a foot above the floor, and he pushed it through the tunnel ahead of him. Once out of the tunnel, he grabbed the handle and ran through the Forest. He didn't expect to see anyone, and he didn't. It didn't take too long to get to the meadow he wanted, at 20 miles an hour. He could maintain a two minute mile, if he had to. He set up his target, and started off at about 50 yards. By the time he worked back to 100 yards, the centaurs had joined him.

"Young wizard," said the nearest centaur. "Why do you bring weapons to the Forest? That is not your normal pattern."

"Please, call me Harry," said Harry. "I need a place to practice, away from eyes that ask too many questions."

"You may call me Firenze," said the first centaur. "Why, after two years, do you need to practice in secrecy?"

"I plan to hunt dementors in April, during the full moon," said Harry. "Twice they have attacked me. They will attack me again, at their first opportunity. I plan to drive them away, or destroy them all."

"We have watched you, Harry," said Firenze, "with great interest. The unicorns are your friends, and that is unusual in itself. You saved a young unicorn filly, at great risk to yourself. You killed the abomination that drank of her. You took a young child home, who had lost his way, and you ask nothing of his parents. You take the form of a great and mighty cat, and let the young maiden with red hair ride you. You destroyed two more abominations, with nothing but your hand weapon. You are most interesting, young Harry. Now you tell me you are hunting more abominations at the edge of our home. You have our blessing, young Harry."

"Thank you," said Harry. "I just recently found out you consider the Forest yours. I meant no disrespect."

"You have always come in peace and joy," said Firenze, "and we have no problem with that."

"When I start hunting, there won't be much peace in Hogsmeade," said Harry. "I expect a lot of ... very unhappy wizards. What will you say, when they come asking what you know?"

"Mars is bright, in the sky these nights," said Firenze. "You have our blessing Harry. You had it when you made friends with the unicorns. You sealed it, when you saved the young one's life. They will learn nothing from us, Harry."

"May I visit you, at some time in the future?" asked Harry. "I would like to know more of you, and yours."

"Yes, you may," said Firenze. "Come to this spot, and we will know. Bring the maiden, if you like. May we join you, while you practice?"

Harry was able to use intendo and rego, up to the range he wanted ... about 200 yards. Arrow ballistics are simple to use. A cross wind is the worst problem, without a spell like rego. The rest of archery is consistancy and repetition. Harry's archery spells took out the need for much skill. The centaurs weren't having trouble hitting the target at 200 yards either.

"You are shooting well, Harry," said Firenze. "How long have you been an archer?"

"I started a few weeks ago," replied Harry. "I am using a bit of magic to help guide the arrow. After I get comfortable using the guidance spells, I am going to launch the arrow with magic. I am going to be traveling light, when I hunt dementors. I won't have my bow case with me. You are quite good with your bow, as well."

"Centaurs have skill in divination," said Firenze. "We can sense where we need to position the bow to place the arrow where we want. Like all things, it takes a bit of practice."

"How long have you been in the Forest," asked Harry, as he began to launch his small practice arrows, without the bow. "They teach us little of you."

"We have been at this location for a very long time," said Firenze. "This is one of the safest places for us. The Forest has a few dangerous creatures, such as the acromantula, cats, bears, as well as a natural aura that is disquieting, for most humans. Very few non-magical humans venture this far in the Forest. We have lived alone for centuries. Humans only wanted us for our warriors, and we have little desire to be drawn into their conflicts. A few humans wanted us as ... fancy beasts of burden. We are not mules."

Harry was coming pretty close to the target with his magic launched bolts. He probably would have come close to the target without magic, using the bow. All he had to do was hit the dementor with the venom, and they were larger than the target. He had time to practice, to make his target date. The goal with the small arrows was Harry's desire to make the spells wordless and wandless. He could do the spells wordlessly ... vocal words are not essential in spell casting. Vocal words are more of a teaching tool, to support the students belief they were performing correctly. It also let the teacher assess the student's repeatability. Wandlessly was not possible yet. That was going to take a lot more dart work in the Chamber. A couple more long distance practice sessions, and he hoped his arrow work would be ready.

McGonagall's basic animagus lessons were finished by the end of February. Ron, Neville, and Hermione had accomplished what had taken Ginny a year and a half of consistant practice to do. Formal training with a Transfiguration Master familiar with the animagus transformation made all the difference. The moral support Harry, Ginny, and Luna provided them ... the teamwork ... was just as valuable. Hermione only knew about Harry's prior ability, and not Ginny's and Luna's. The animagus training bonded the six a bit closer than their study group did. They kept using the toy room, at least once a week, until end of term. It was too much fun to forego.

Full moon in April came quickly enough. It was warming up, and leaves had a good start on the trees. The Hogwarts wards were about a mile long, in circumference. The dementors encircled it, moving slowly, much like a carousel. Dementors were spaced about 100 yards apart, which gave their senses and their medalions a little overlap. This wasn't hunting, it was target practice. Harry would use his wand wordlessly, as he wasn't going to chance a miss. He picked three large trees to shoot from, with enough room in the branches to transform safely. He could shoot two from the first spot, move to the second location to shoot a third, and then see what happens. The Keepers had three shanties spaced around the wards. Harry would carry six bolts, and try for at least four dementors. He would fly back to the tunnel as fast as he could, leave the dorm through the pet tunnel, and visit the sheep barns. The sheep barns were the closest buildings to the wards, to watch the reactions of the dementors and seekers.

Harry was sitting in the first tree at 3:00 a.m. with his quiver of venom coated bolts. When he could see two dementors at the same time, he launched a bolt at the one walking away from him. A few seconds later it hit the dementor in the back. As soon as the first bolt hit, Harry launched the second one at the dementor following. The second one had stopped, aparantly undecided as to what to do. The bolt hit it in the chest. Harry immediately transformed, and flew to the second firing station. The dementors had reversed course, but he still had a good shot at two. He shot the leading dementor in the back, and once again, shot the second dementor in the chest. The third firing station wasn't too far from Kaasaar's tunnel. He had a shot at one dementor, and took it. The fifth dementor was rolling on the ground. He watched for a few seconds, and flew toward the tunnel. Moving as fast as he could, it took him twenty minutes to get to the loo in Gryffindor Tower. He changed into house cat form, and kept going, out the pet tunnel in the tower, out the pet tunnel near the front doors, and straight to the sheep barns.

Harry climbed into the loft, and looked out over the grounds. He could see where the first two dementors had been destroyed. There was still a red glow where they had burned. Aurors were walking around, waving their wands, and pointing occasionally. Harry would like to hear what they were saying, but he would not risk getting close enough. An immensely satisfied Harry Potter went down to check over the ewes and new born lambs. He was in no hurry, and he left the barns an hour later. It was 5:30, and Hagrid was usually up a 6:00. He made a wide swing past the chickens and hogs, tapped on Hagrids door, and walked on in. He was no stranger to Hagrid's in the morning, and Hagrid was sitting at the table nursing a cup of tea.

"Morning," said Harry. "I checked on the sheep, chickens, and hogs. No problems. Looks like there is a little excitement at the edge of the wards near the sheep."

"What's happening over there?" asked Hagrid.

"Don't know," said Harry. "A few aurors, but I didn't walk over. I thought you would want to know. I am going to swing by the thestrals on the way to the castle. See you later."

Harry spent half an hour with the thestrals. He wasn't as close to the thestrals as he was the unicorns, but they were growing on him. He had his favorites, among the herd. Anyone who works with animals for very long picks out a few that they have an affinity for. The one he helped Hagrid heal came over, and gave him a nudge. Animals tend to get used to their handlers, as well. This has happened since mankind domesticated wolves and cats. Domestication probably isn't the correct word. Mankind learned to cooperate with wolves and cats, for mutual benefit. Later, mankind domesticated food. Thestrals were not food. Thestrals had protection at Hogwarts, and warmth in the winter. Older thestrals teach the young ones to pull the carraiges. Hagrid explained they just need a little help getting buckled into the harness. The thestral drawn carraiges were as old as Hogwarts.

Harry went back to the dorm, and cleaned up a bit. He went down to the common room to wait for Ginny and Neville. Ron and Hermione were not early risers, so they left without them. Hermione studied late, and Ron needed a crow bar to help him get out of bed. They met Luna for breakfast.

They were eating breakfast when Hagrid and Sirius walked into the Great Hall with an auror. Dumbledore left with the auror, and Hagrid sat down to eat.

Kaasaar was waiting in the walls in Dumbledore's office. He knew Harry was attacking dementors, and he watched Harry run from his access tunnel across the Chamber. He knew the Headmaster would be visited, and that was one conversation Hogwarts Protector would listen to. Young Harry had gotten his attention with the troll, and the diary. He told Harry later, of course.

The Headmaster led the auror captain into his office. "May I offer you some breakfast, Captain Baker? Tea? Anything?" he asked.

"No, thank you," replied the auror. "This is not a social call. This morning five more dementors were destroyed, in fifteen minutes. None of the wards on the medallions registered anything. Nothing. Have your wards registered anything?"

Dumbledore got up, and walked over to a shelf filled with whirling trinkets. After looking at them for a few minutes, following a couple waves of his wand, he walked into a room adjacent to his office. After five minutes, he returned. "No one crossed the perimeter wards last night. No one has triggered the building wards, other than normal staff and student traffic. Can you give me any details of what has happened at the edge of our wards?"

"Five dementors were destroyed sequentially, two pairs, and a single, starting at 3:00 in the morning, and ending at 3:15. Normally, a medallion ward alerts a dementor, the dementor acquires a target, and we go arrest who ever set off the ward. Dementors are never destroyed. We didn't even think it was possible. Seven have been destroyed, assigned to sentry duty on the Hogwarts wards. The first two destroyed had someone, or something, near them, but we don't know anything about them. The last five had no information at all. We have no idea what spell kills dementors. With the first two, we had cat tracks and two sets of foot prints. This time we have nothing, and there is snow on the ground. Nothing."

"Nothing triggered on our wards, and we have had no reported problems," said Dumbledore. "If I learn of anything, I will contact DMLE. Thank you for letting me know."

"I've got to go file a report to my supervisor," said the captain, " and I have nothing of value. Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore. I won't trouble you any further. I remember the way out, from my school days."

"Good day, Captain Baker," said Dumbledore.

Dumbledore drank his tea, deep in thought. He didn't want the dementors here, anyway. Now they were drawing attention to the school, and someone ... or something ... powerful enough to destroy them. He thought Harry was involved in the first two, since the animagus had crossed the wards just prior to their destruction. Harry and Ginny would also account for the foot prints. This time, however, Harry had not crossed the wards. In fact, he had left the dorm at about 3:30, and left the building shortly there after. Harry did this fairly often, since he started working with Hagrid in Advanced CoMC. Granted, the farm animals were not magical creatures, but there were in the duties of the Grounds Keeper. Harry was a diligent student, and kept out of trouble. Perhaps, Harry had nothing to do with the dementors, and something from the Forbidden Forest was killing dementors. This was deeply troubling. Idiot Fudge, dementors, and something killing dementors near his beloved school.

Dumbledore thought about questioning Harry and Ginny about the first incident, but he dismissed the idea, at this time. Few students knew about how the wards tracked student traffic, and virtually no one knew the Headmaster could lift surface thoughts from students ... and he wanted to keep them ignorant of both facts. Firstly, a little pushing of the rules was healthy, and he kept track of all such incidents. Secondly, if students knew he could lift surface thoughts, they would avoid him like the plague. His position of Headmaster was intimidating enough. Few people relished the idea of being called into the office of their Head of House, and no one wanted to be called to the Headmaster's office, when it concerned a matter of breaking rules. Headmasters do not summon students for tea and biscuits.

He would meet with his Heads of House immediately, singularly or in groups, and inform them of the destruction of the dementors. Either he, or his deputy, would inform the rest of the staff, as soon as it could be arranged. Minerva was close to her animagi students, and she would inform him of any peculiarities in that area. As his deputy, she watched the wards as close as he did. Further more, she was as protective of the students and the school as he was. The two Gryffindors were in safe hands.

There was another meeting with Fudge, Hamilton, the Warden of Azkaban, Smith, the keepers' Department Head, Bones, the aurors' Department Head, and Shacklebolt, the auror in charge of the forensic investigation. Fudge was not happy. He wanted Pettigrew.

"Tell me how we have lost ten percent of all of the dementors that exist," said Fudge, like they were an important commodity. From his viewpoint, maybe they were, since he considered them indestructible bloodhounds that persecute prisoners.

"We have no idea how they were destroyed," said Madam Bones, " and we don't know who, ... or what, did it either. Both attacks occured in the Forbidden Forest. Something as territorial as a dragon may be attacking them. We still don't know what that cat creature was. There were not any cat tracks this time. There were no tracks at all. Dementors have never been stationed at Hogwarts before, to our knowledge."

"I want to pull my people and the dementors out of there," said Smith. "We have seen no evidence of Pettigrew, and it is no secret the dementors are at Hogwarts. If Pettigrew saw them, he would turn around, and not come back. We are probably losing dementors to some beast."

"I want an auror flying between every two dementors," said Fudge. "If something attacks again, stop it. Hogwarts must be protected. Pettigrew is probably behind the attacks. He wants the dementors gone, so he can enter Hogwarts."

"Pettigrew's profile suggests his personality is much like the rat form he takes," said Bones. "I think he is hiding so deep, we will never see him again. As it is, he was accidentally discovered before. In my opinion, Pettigrew will never be seen again."

"We can't let him in Hogwarts," said Fudge. "Assign your aurors."

"As you wish, Minister," said Bones.

The group ran the Hogwarts halls on the weekends after their dorm mates went to sleep. They were able to sleep late in the morning to make up for it, if they felt like it. They stayed fairly busy, other wise. Pomfrey had Harry busy learning joints, with sprains, strains, and breaks. She could transfigure some pretty good fake broken arms and legs. Joints were much more complicated than bones. Harry's work for Hagrid was busy, but not complicated.

Ginny and Luna only went out into the halls on the weekend to practice using magic to enhance their muscular strength. They didn't want to stir the pot with Hermione, Neville, and especially Ron. Ron's ego was a bit fragile, and Neville's wasn't the strongest either. Ron and Neville were on cloud nine, and Ginny wanted to keep it that way. They were taking some pretty good jumps that may have been dangerous, if someone hadn't been standing by with a cushioning charm if they didn't make it. Harry went with them occasionally, when they were taking their jumps. The first time Hermione came upon them, she had a cow.

"That must have been eight feet up, and you were the size of a house cat," she exclaimed. "How did you do that? That's fifteen times your height."

"I am trying to learn physical magic," replied Ginny. "If magical creatures can do it, I should be able to also. I am magical, so I am practicing."

"How long have you been doing this?" asked Hermione. "What do you do?"

"I started using exercise equipment this term," said Ginny, "but that is dead boring. I can do the same thing by doing push-ups and sit-ups." Ginny did five perfect one-handed push-ups. Then, she did a hand stand, and did a few two-handed, verticle push-ups.

"Wow, Ginny!" exclaimed Hermione. "Just ... wow! I could be as fast as Crooks."

"Maybe even faster," said Ginny. "I can't wait until I get in the pond this summer. You know you are going to have to be careful around muggles, if you start this. Don't get too excited. You don't get much sleep now."

"What do you do?" asked Hermione.

"I sort of imagine myself stronger, imagine that my muscles are more powerful," said Ginny. "Getting the first bit of success is the hard part. Once you know how it feels, you can improve it. After that, I sort of made it part of me. I don't think about it any more. I just need to practice. After a while, I don't go much higher. The last few inches are difficult to improve on. It's like I would have to do something else to go higher."

"That makes sense," said Hermione. "There is probably a limit to how strong muscles can be, even with magic. There is also a difference in jumping for distance and jumping for height. Your house cat can stay in the air long enough for a glide pattern to start to develop when you make your long jumps. In grade school, I was in what they called an accelerated learning program. In science, I learned that force equals mass times acceleration. Work factors in the distance traveled. Time is a major factor, since gravity is a constant acceleration. Add air resistance and how your legs and torso catch the air, and you have hang time, so to speak. Some furry cats have been known to glide like flying squirrels, for a short distance. To jump much higher, magic would probably have to act on observed mass or the acceleration of gravity."

"What?" asked Ginny.

Hermione had to sit down. Her mind was a virtual tornado. "I only saw simple problems in archery and ballistics," she said, "but laws of motion affect everything that moves. Newton's three laws of motion. Conservation of momentum. The laws of mechanics. Aerodynamics. On long jumps, skiers catch the air. ...."

"What?" asked Harry. Hermione had his attention.

"Physics, Harry," said Hermione. "No matter how hard she jumps on her verticle jumps, once she leaves the ground, lifting force is over, and gravity is constant. Time doesn't really matter much, since she isn't in the air very long. On a long jump, how she catches air helps determing how far she can go. Have any of you studied physics? I can get some books for you. It's really simple, until you get into the math. I didn't quite get into the math before I started Hogwarts."

"What would happen if a creature could affect how much it weighs?" asked Harry.

"The creature would affect either mass, or gravity," said Hermione. "If the creature affected mass, then it would be able to change direction easily in motion, since inertia is mass times velocity. If the creature affected gravity, then the creature would not change direction easily, since mass is relatively high."

"What do you think the charm, wingardium leviosa, does, concerning these laws of motion?" asked Harry.

"It lifts an object, works against gravity," said Hermione, "Some people say gravity is an energy form, similar to light or magnetism. It is usually relatively constant, with the mass of an object. Magic is an energy form. Magic may bend gravity around the object, or it may directly act on the object, as buoyant force. I don't know much about how the charm works, yet. Adjusting it a little lets the object move around, where the caster wants."

"What do you think thestrals do, to be able to fly?" asked Harry. "Their wings are too small for their weight, for flight."

"Do they have a lot of momentum?" asked Hermione.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"Is it difficult for them to change direction, once they get going?" asked Hermione.

"They make wide turns," said Harry.

"Then," said Hermione, "I would say they levitate, or push down on the force of gravity, and use their wings to move. Can they hang in the air, without moving their wings?"

That made sense to Harry. That was what he had experienced trying to fly in his larger cat form. "I have seen young ones hang in the air," said Harry. "They blow in the wind. They are fun to watch, actually."

"I would like to learn what you are doing, Ginny," said Hermione. "I really must run. Catch you later."

They had a lot more to talk about, and there just wasn't enough time in the day.

Harry went hunting dementors again three weeks later, same spot, same time. It was a bit darker this time, but Harry could still see, since the aurors had charmed lights following the dementors at night so they could see where they were. They made the perfect target. As soon as the first dementor caught fire, the auror rushed forward. He couldn't see anything at the site, since the fire made him night blind. The second dementor caught fire, and the auror never saw the small cat fly to the second station. He sounded the alarm, and the other aurors came rushing. Four more dementors caught fire, bringing the night's total to six, before Harry flew back to the tunnel. Harry was gone from the tower for a total of two hours, and no one missed him at 3:00 in the morning.

There was a third meeting with Fudge, Hamilton, the Warden of Azkaban, Smith, the keepers' Department Head, Bones, the aurors' Department Head, and Shacklebolt, the auror in charge of the forensic investigation. The Minister told them there would be results, or they would be replaced.

Hermione joined Ginny and Luna in an unused classroom, to discuss 'magical muscles'.

"What do you do, Ginny?" asked Hermione.

"It's more of an attitude, for me," said Ginny. "I'm strong, I can do it, here I go, ... that sort of thing. Once it started working, I just kept at that feeling, making it work better."

"Muggles have something called bio-feedback, that sounds like that," said Hermione. "They use it to affect pain, heart rate, skin temperature, meditative alpha and beta states ... what ever has they have the ability to measure. The person consciously tries to affect what ever condition he is striving for, until success is achieved. How did you get started, Ginny?"

"I wanted to be as fast as a cat I knew growing up," said Ginny. "My Great Aunt has kneazles, and I wanted to be that fast. I don't want him to be faster than me when I am a cat, and leave me behind. I guess I am ... competitive. There is no doubt I am stronger now than I used to be, even without magic. I can't wait until I go swimming. Underage magic detectors can't catch me using this magic, since the magic stays inside, where it nomally is."

"This is going to be a great summer project," said Hermione. "I can do it where ever we go. I can actually practice magic at home."

"Yeah, just don't end up the amazing wonder girl, and get noticed," said Ginny. "DMLE hates that. Muggle-born don't want to go there."

"What are you going to work on next?" asked Hermione. "I mean, can't stop now ... right?"

"Aunt Arabella's kneazles talk to each other," said Ginny. "I don't know how to start that project, but I would like to do that."

"Crookshanks does that," said Hermione, "even though he isn't fully kneazle. I agree. I want to do that also. I want to talk to Crooks. Right Crooks? I know you understand me." Crookshanks was watching Hermione intently, and he nodded his head up and down. A shiver ran down Hermione's spine, in excitement.

Ginny and Luna were doing some really odd yoga exercises. The yoga let them test the strength in some of their muscles, as well as giving them a good stretch. Ginny was on her fingertips, with her fingers splayed like a spider's legs. She didn't stay that way long, she was always in slow motion.

"When did you start the yoga?" asked Hermione.

"Luna found this," said Ginny. "The library has about anything one cares to look for. The dangerous stuff is restricted."

"Luna and you go way back, don't you?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah, we've been friends since we were young. We don't live far from each other," said Luna. "Closer than Harry lives."

"Have you known Harry that long?" asked Hermione.

"Not really," said Luna. "You would think so, but it didn't happen. Cedric Diggory doesn't live to far away either, and I don't know him at all, except to recognize him when I pass. You should visit Ginny and I during the holidays. Father and I live alone, and our house is huge."

"I'd like that," said Hermione, as she was struggling with a push-up. "I am going to be sore in the morning."

"I remember that," said Ginny laughing. "It only gets worse."

Harry picked three new spots, and went hunting five days later at 1:00 in the afternoon. He was getting quite good with his small arrows, but he still didn't dare do the job wandlessly. Harry wasn't that good yet, and he wanted his targets ... exterminated. He left the Great Hall after lunch, and visited the loo on the ground floor. No one else was in there, so he entered the water closet, transformed, and made his way quickly to his firing station. He shot the dementor trailing the auror. As the auror turned around, Harry shot the leading dementor. He dropped down the back side of the tree, flew down a ravine. He flew three hundred yards to the next tree. This auror was up above the trees trying to watch both dementors. He didn't see the small silent bolts that started his assigned charges on fire. Harry didn't move again. He became a small cat without the wings, and he crawled into a hole in the tree to watch what happened. This auror was angry. Very angry. The auror was using his broom much like a seeker, and he wasn't finding anything. After the auror started flying larger and larger patterns, Harry climbed down the tree. He made a slow circle in the general direction of the tunnel, hunting for small prey along the way. If someone saw him, he was just a cat out hunting in the woods. It didn't take him long to find a small ground squirrel. He continued the slow circle, carrying the dead squirrel with him. He ate it on the ridge overlooking the tunnel, and climbed down. He had the habit of leaving the tunnels the same place he entered, so the wards would be consistant. There was no reason to draw unnecessary attention to himself.

Minerva was just going to ask Harry a question about their ongoing project. She saw him enter the loo, and thought he would be out directly. After fifteen minutes, she asked a young Hufflepuff second-year to check the loo, to see if Harry was alright. The young 'puff came out, and said no one was in there. Minerva thanked him, and he went on his way. She transformed, and laid down in an alcove by a suit of armor. If she was going to wait, she may as well be comfortable. A couple hours later, just as she was about to give it up, Harry came out of the loo.

Harry caught the motion as she stood up, and started walking. She transformed as she walked, making it look ridiculously easy. No one else was in the hallway.

"Harry, might I have a word with you?" asked Minerva. "I was going to ask your opinion concerning animagus magic. I saw you go in the loo over two hours ago. Do you have time to discuss this in my office?"

"Yes Ma'am," replied Harry. Harry considered the idea, as he walked, that night time was a better time for dementor hunting.

They entered her office, and she closed the door. "Harry," she began, "I was going to discuss what goes through your mind as you change your weight. Recently, I have had a measure of success in control, and it seems that I can almost ... flex ... the weight change. Then you disappeared in the loo. For over two hours. I happen to know that you, and young Ginny, crossed the wards last term just before two dementors caught fire, and disappeared."

"They attacked us," said Harry. "I couldn't shake them. They were starting to circle, tighter and tighter. More were coming. I ... stabbed them. I sense nothing ... alive ... in them."

"I ... see," said Minerva. "Will I hear news of more dementors being destroyed today?"

"Perhaps," said Harry. "Four of them."

"I have no desire for the vile creatures to exist, myself," said Minerva, "but it might be a good idea for dementors to stop disappearing for a while. The Ministry is getting most agitated, and they are apt to get more creative in their efforts to discover why they are burning up. I really don't care to know why, myself."

"The dementors might have a period of amazing health," said Harry.

"I think that amazing health would be good for them," said Minerva. "Harry, please be careful. I would like to offer an apprenticeship to you, at the completion of your schooling. You have to be in good health to do that. Is there any particular danger involved, in your travels?"

"No, not really," replied Harry. "I speak to Kob, the house elf, from time to time, where I go. It's really just the piping tunnels that run through the castle. ('And the tunnel under the wards', he thought) Kob regularly works in them. If you ever need me quickly, and I don't seem to be around, Kob might be able to help."

"Thank you for telling me that," said Minerva. "I sure you had other plans for this afternoon, besides sitting around talking to me."

"Any time, Professor," said Harry smiling, standing up and walking toward the door. "As for your question, I imagine power floating in the air ... sort of. I used to think of the levitation charm. I am not sure it matters what the visualization is ... as long as it works. It would be interesting, being your apprentice. If I am in good health at the completion of my schooling, I would welcome an offer. Transfiguration is useful in healing. You should see some of the stuff Madam Pomfrey does, in training." Harry closed the door behind him.

"Kob, the house elf, please," said McGonagall, snapping her fingers.

The elf appeared before her. "Yes Ma'am," said Kob.

"It is my understanding that you see Harry Potter, from time to time," she said, "while you work on the castle plumbing. Is this correct?"

"Yes Ma'am," said Kob. "I see Harry Potter frequently, when I work."

"Is this place where you work safe?" asked McGonagall.

"Yes Ma'am," said Kob. "There are very few verticle runs of piping, and Harry Potter takes the form of a cat. Normally, a student would not be able to walk the piping tunnels. The tunnels are safe for him." He didn't mention the protector. The tunnels were the protector's territory. The elves liked this witch, and she had been at Hogwarts longer than most, even though it was a relatively short time, in comparison to Kob.

"Thank you for your information, Kob," said McGonagall. "You may continue what you were doing."

"Thank you, Ma'am," said Kob, and he disappeared.

Minerva floated over a cup of tea. 'I have been here a long time,' she though to herself, ' and I am still learning new things about this old castle. I may have to do some exploring.'

Auror Captain Baker was a little excited. The keepers had just received equipment to help identify what was causing dementors to burn. Were they being attacked? Were they ill? Was this their natural end of life? He didn't think the latter was the case. Intuition told him they were being attacked, but they hadn't seen evidence of it. They were placing detectors on all dementors as they came past the ckeckpoint. No one cared about dementors, but it was embarrassing that they were being destroyed on his watch.

A young auror ran up to the Captain, and handed him a parchment. The Captain quickly read it, and sighed unhappily. 'Well,' he thought, 'it all pays the same. It figures we're leaving now, since it is pretty in Scotland this time of year.' He snapped out a couple quick commands, "Pack it up, we are pulling out. Pettigrew was captured in Paris. That's where we're going. Randolph, good work with those wards for your cousin." The Captain read the note again, and thought to himself. 'He tripped a Pettigrew ward in a restaurant, of all places.'

The keepers had the similar orders, and they were very happy to be leaving. They were not going to France.

A short while earlier, there had been a meeting with Fudge, Hamilton, the Warden of Azkaban, Smith, the keepers' Department Head, Bones, the aurors' Department Head, and Shacklebolt, the auror in charge of the forensic investigation. Fudge was disgruntled.

"What do we know about Pettigrew?" said Fudge, a little too loud. "Bones?"

"Pettigrew was picked up in Paris," replied Bones. "Randolph, one of the department's warders, has a cousin in Paris that wanted some wards on his restaurant. Randolph just laid down his standard package. He was on his own time. Pettigrew wasn't in custody very long. He answered a few questions, and broke down, putting up no resistance. Before they were able to transport him, he surprised them, and bolted. The young auror didn't even place animagus restraints on him. Pettigrew told them he has been in France since he left Azkaban. It seems he has no desire to be on British soil. He was living as a rat, eating from rubbish cans. He apparently prefers to live as a rat."

"Can I pull my crew out of Hogwarts?" asked Smith. "Overtime is killing my budget."

"Don't you want to wait to find out what got your dementors?" asked Fudge.

"What's the point?" asked Smith. "I might lose more of the animals while we investigate. I still have more than I need for normal operations now. The most we stand to gain is knowledge of how to destroy them. What is the sentence for destruction of ministry property? Three years?"

"Assuming this is an attack," began Bones, "one thing stands out. Aurors and keepers have not been attacked. This would seem to be someone who has a grudge against dementors, and that would be nearly everyone who has been under their ... influence. If Pettigrew is off British soil, I would pull them out of Hogwarts. Next time dementor crews are assigned outside of Ministry property, we send them with the detection packages we just sent to the keepers. We do business as usual, and stay alert."

"Smith, recall your crews," said Fudge. "Bones, contact French DMLE, and see if we can send investigators into France to pursue leads on Pettigrew. I want him in custody."

"Yes, Minister," said Bones.

"Maggie," yelled Fudge, standing up. "I am going to my next appointment. I should be back by 2:00." They all followed the Minister out.

Pettigrew was riding the rails again, heading for Eastern Europe. His dead Master had a couple places he could hide at. He should have gone there as soon as he escaped from Azkaban. French Aurors caught him! The British Ministry would execute him, and he couldn't go back there. He had to hide. He would hide good this time.

Dumbledore was vexed. He heard what happened to Pettigrew in Paris. Thankfully, that made the Ministry pull the dementors. One of the school's divination students had heard a prophecy concerning the Dark Lord, from Trelawny, the same day Pettigrew left Paris. It made the Divination Professor quite pleased with herself. Dumbledore was worried again.

Most of the rest of the term was spent on term papers and cramming for exams. The six kept distractions light. As soon as the dementors were gone though, Ginny found Harry and asked if he had time to run in the Forest. She just couldn't spend all her time studying, and she loved to ride. She also wanted to try out her strength in the Forest, and she would NOT go without Harry. She wouldn't go to the Forest with Luna, or all the ghosts in Hogwarts. She felt safe, with Harry.

Two cats headed out across the grounds on Sunday afternoon. Soon they were a streak of color flashing through the Forest, Ginny's red hair trailing in the wind, Harry's legs pumping. He didn't need to worry about Ginny falling off, no matter how wide a jump he made, and he made a couple beauties. The twelve year old girl couldn't get the grin off her face. Riding now was absolutely effortless. They found the unicorns, and Ginny transformed into the large cat. She was able to keep up! After a while, they went playing in the rocks. Ginny was very happy. When she walked back on to the grounds, she knew she had a good work out, but she wasn't exhausted. Ginny thought she had accomplished quite a bit this term. She might even say she liked running. Almost.

Once exams were over, they wound down. It was warm. The cats all went out to play. And play they did. No one paid any attention to seven cats on the grounds, even though their behavior was a bit odd.

The end of term feast was uneventful for Harry. Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup. Whoopty-do, he thought, but McGonagall was pleased. Slytherin won the House Cup, no surprise. Harry knew the pattern with the professors, and their quirky inconsistancies. The point system meant nothing to him. Harry had what he came for ... more magical training. Harry had training scheduled with Xavier for the summer, and two different long weekends scheduled with Professor McGonagall. If he was lucky, he would never see dementors again. Not that it mattered. They probably wouldn't live long, if he did.


	15. Chapter 15 Summer of Fun

Chapter 15 Summer of Fun

Harry met with Xavier in the training room, after breakfast. Sam was with him. Harry demonstrated his wandless use of the darts.

"Harry, you have become rather proficient in hand to hand self-defense and simple weapons," began Xavier. "You can hold your own with a wand in a skirmish, using shields, stupefy, reducto, and lacero. Your shields are your strength, since wizards will have a hard time hexing you. You are able to throw darts, arrows, and knives ... any thing of that nature ... wandlessly and wordlessly, at least to some extent. Keep practicing that skill. You have two wandless and wordless shields. What would you like to work on this summer?"

"I want to continue working on wandless magic," said Harry. "I want to use stupefy, reducto, and lacero effectively and silently, without a wand. I would like to learn the disillusionment charm, as well. If I go hunting, I want to be unseen."

"That makes sense," said Xavier. "That would be a useful skill, to avoid drawing attention to yourself. The wandless magic is important. Most people who depend on magic to stay alive learn some wandless magic, even if it is just to accio their wand. Any other items of interest?"

"Is there any way to measure the strength of spells like stupefy and reducto?" asked Harry. "If I practice wandless magic, it would be good to be able to measure my effectiveness, without a human target. I know I can use wooden targets for reducto and lacero, but it would be nice to have a measurement."

"I might be able to help with that, Harry," said Sam. "There are some targets we use in training to test and train recruits. I will bring a couple over. I know a few good disillusionment and stealth charms to teach you. You will make a great recruit in the DMLE, if you ever want to work there. I don't know what else to teach you for standard self-defense. There are several fancy spells people use for sporting duels, but they are not necessary to protect yourself. They look great for showing a crowd in a demonstration, and some of them will go through the protego and contego shields. There are some flashy hand shields to let you knock an incoming hex away, if you are sure of what they are. When in doubt, dodge. The best fought fight, in self-defense, is a foot race. If you can't escape, or must protect others, hurt those attacking you ... badly. They are trying to hurt you. No shaggin' around in self-defense."

"How many hours per week do you spend practicing wandless magic?" asked Xavier.

"I spend three to six hours per day," replied Harry.

"Why so much time?" asked Xavier.

"The two creatures that have attacked me recently, dementors and elves, don't use wands," said Harry. "Magical creatures don't use wands, so I don't want to limit myself to the use of a wand. We are supposed to spend that much time every day learning how to use a wand. I want access to my magic as a kneazle. When I get bored in Binn's class, I practice some kinds of wandless magic. Practicing wandless magic is a lot of fun, even though I need a lot of practice to get as good as when I use a wand. I can't think of anything more entertaining. "

"What can you practice in Binn's class?" asked Sam.

"I can make myself lighter," replied Harry. "I am trying to make myself lighter than air, and lighten objects I am touching. I hold pieces of metal in my hand, and try to make them so light they try to lift my hand. I can practice certain medical diagnostics on myself in Binn's class. I practice wandless magic as much as I can when I am out working with Hagrid and Sirius. Hagrid has no way of knowing I am doing that. Once I started using wandless magic, I wanted to see how much I could use it. Wand movements don't seem to really matter, but wands make use of magic a lot easier. Wandless magic seems to be getting easier."

"You never cease to surprise me, Harry," said Sam. "Magic becomes easier for all students, the more they use it. The only reason the NEWTs are so bad, is that they cover so much material, and some of the classes have interrelated material."

"I don't want to use wandless magic just for defense," said Harry. "Humans are just another magical creature. The accidental magic of children is wandless magic. Who knows when wands were discovered? It just takes more time. I have time."

"British wizard law forbids wand ownership by magical creatures ," said Sam, "It is a death sentence for elves. That is why veela live in France. Goblins, by treaty, do not use a wand either. Centaurs hold wands in contempt. Wands are a significant advantage, in a fight. Humans limit the use of wands ... to themselves."

"Can I see your wand?" asked Xavier. He took it, and transfigured a purely wooden copy. "Practice your magic at school using this fake," he continued. "It will make you look like a near squib, in some practical demonstrations, especially new ones, but that really isn't a problem, as long as you are not taking your OWLs. Those are two years away. I won't worry about your school reports McGonagall sends out. Your professors will notice a huge difference in your practical work. The reason Dumbledore is so good at wandless magic has nothing to do with power. He's over 150 years old. It is age and experience, and he works at it. He has been practicing forever. A great number of people stop learning after their NEWT exams. They specialize into a few areas of magic. Food is easy to grow, and it is easy to light and heat our homes. Travel by floo is nearly free, and apparition doesn't cost anything. A great number of people don't even use magic, except for daily incidentals. How many people do you think actually use arithmancy, divination, or ancient runes? All NEWTs prove is that the person has the ability to learn. I will get you another wand holster for your holly wand, so you can keep it on you. Keep it on your left arm. The holster I am getting you is charmed to become invisible. Aurors use them for backup."

"I will use the holly wand for medical classes," said Harry. "That class is too important."

"You are right about that, Harry," said Xavier. "Wands facilitate magic, and we don't know why one works better than another. That is why Ollivander had you try a hundred wands. It is trial and error. Wands pick the wizard, my arse. Use a wand for important work, like medical charms, transfiguring weapons, and actual self-defense."

Sam said, "I will come by tomorrow, and then I will be here on Mondays and Thursdays. Let me show you some stealth charms. A few of these are ... nice. I will give you a book tomorrow on stealth charms used by the DMLE."

Harry slipped easily into a training routine, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 to 12:00. Sam brought a couple targets calibrated for stupefy and reducto. They would measure other spells, to some extent. Harry could see how effective his wandless attack spells were, and the wandless spells had less power than his wanded ones. He was improving. The wonderful thing about wandless magic ... if he could do wandless magic as a human, he lost no effectiveness as a cat. He would practice disillusionment in front of a mirror. He needed a lot of practice. Xavier's training room was the perfect place. Harry spent a lot of time with the pride. If they weren't on patrol, they roamed far and wide, playing their games. He could practice disillusionment in the woods. Anywhere, really, since it was essentially internal magic. Disillusioned, he could fly without being seen by anyone. Even if someone saw a blur, they would confuse him for a bird. He wished he would have thought of disillusionment earlier. He wondered if that was why thestrals became invisible. They wouldn't get harassed that way. What was the reason people who had seen death could see them? He was curious about that.

Sirius planned to come over once or twice a week. Their training had been interrupted by the dementors, and Sirius enjoyed working with Harry. Sirius threw a variety of spells at Harry that he had learned down throughout the years, which helped Harry immensely with his shield work. After lunch, they would go off through the woods for an hour, or so, and romp around as animagi.

Hermione had a week of vacation with her parents in Italy right after school, then her parents returned to their practice. Their fireplace had been put on the network, so Hermione went to visit Luna around noon while her parents were at work. Ginny was also at Luna's place, and the three girls had a good visit, practicing their strength training, swimming, and being cats. They weren't giggly, gossipy girls, but they were teenage girls. They were having a great time. Green Eyes showed up around 1:30.

Hermione stated, "What a large kneazle."

Ginny said, "You should see his father. That is a powerful cat."

"Crookshanks really likes him," said Hermione, watching the two apparently talking. "I wish I could talk to Crooks like that."

"Me too," said Ginny. "I have wanted to be able to talk to Green Eyes ever since I became an animagus. I don't know how. Since I have been able to become physically stronger, I have been wondering how I might learn how to talk to him."

"He would make a nice pet," said Hermione. Green Eyes looked up at them. "Crooks is just wonderful."

"I asked GI once," said Ginny, " when I was about eight. He said no, but we have been great friends. Eight year old me, I cried a bucket of tears, from the rejection, but he wouldn't let me keep crying. We have been friends for a long time. I don't think it is possible to own a kneazle, but they make great companions. I guess that is why they call some ... animals ... familiars. They are ... more than ... pets. They are more like family, so familiars is a good description. GI and Luna are my best friends."

"He talks to you?" asked Hermione. "I didn't think you were able to."

"We have been able to communicate, after a fashion, for a long time," said Ginny. "It isn't the same as how kneazles talk, though. You talk to Crooks, don't you?"

"Oh yes," said Hermione. "I am so happy I found him in Diagon Alley."

"Kneazles talk ... mentally ... with kind of a mixture of emotion and visual pictures or impressions," said Ginny. "I have wished, for a long time, that I could talk to GI that way."

"How do you know this?" asked Hermione. "You almost sound like you have had a dialog with a kneazle."

Ginny didn't know how to answer this. She looked at GI, and he looked at her, for a few moments. Suddenly, GI became Harry.

"Harry!" gulped Hermione. "What! How! I knew you were a cat animagus, but ... a kneazle?"

"Hermione, I have been a kneazle most of my life," replied Harry. "That is probably my biggest secret, and only a handful of people know. I have trusted you for quite some time, but I still guard this information. It wouldn't be well received, if it was common knowledge I spent my childhood as a kneazle. I returned to the human world just before I started Hogwarts."

Hermione was stunned. She was still focused on kneazle communication. "You can talk to Crookshanks," she said. "What does he say about me?"

"He is fond of you," replied Harry. "He picked you, in Diagon Alley. He was looking for a wizard to team up with, and you ... seemed right ... to him."

Hermione thought about when she first met Crooks, in the Menagerie. Crookshanks had seemed awfully friendly, and the clerk had said the cat was generally disagreeable. "He picked me?!" she asked, looking at Crooks.

Crookshanks nodded his head up and down, and rubbed up against her shin.

"You speak mentally?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, and no," said Harry. "All animals broadcast emotions, and we pick up on that. We use body language and signals, as well as various vocalizations. We also send visual, emotional impressions. It isn't exactly like human language. Kneazles don't use words, or need to. We are not very complicated. We do understand when people talk to each other."

"Wizards have several mental arts that can be practiced," said Hermione, "and they have been used for years, primarily against muggles in support of the secrecy laws. Oblivation obscures and/or removes memories. Memories can be changed also. Legilimency is used to read thoughts and memories, and wizards use occlumency to protect against a legilemens attack. Mind healers have different methods of curing mental and emotional problems. Unauthorized use of the mental arts are generally illegal."

"I think Mum must use something like legilimency," said Ginny. "None of us can get away with outright lies with her. What do we have to do to learn about the mental arts. I have pretty much finished my strength training, and I would like to keep working toward the abilities of the kneazles."

"Most people I have seen wouldn't like the open life of kneazles," said Harry. "People tend to hide their true emotions from each other. Kneazles can't lie to each other. We won't let ourselves isolate. We are transparent to the whole pride."

"I don't know if I would like that," said Hermione. "You would know my fears and secrets."

"Fear is a huge problem for humans," said Harry. "Children develop it quickly."

"Transparency isn't so bad," said Luna. "It doesn't take long to get used to, really. I can tell when people like me, don't like me, or lie to me. I always have. I haven't tried to ... send ... anything that someone might receive though. How do you do that, Harry?"

"I think about what I want to say, what I feel, and any visual impressions I want to pass," said Harry. "When I want to receive information, I focus on doing that. We kneazles can close ourselves off from each other, but I can't think of a reason I would want to. It is a little different when I talk to unicorns. Unicorns have a different outlook on life, but their emotions are the same. Emotions are pretty much all the same, even from food, like mice. The emotions of food are not complicated, though. Emotions are broadcast pretty much continuously, to some extent. I have not really thought about how I communicate with kneazles and unicorns. I just do it."

"How do you think magic is involved?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know," replied Harry. "How could we find out? It will probably be similar to how you three learned how to increase your physical strength. We know it is possible, since several magical creatures normally communicate this way. Further, we know it differs a bit among them. Thestrals communicate differently from unicorns. I can't talk to them the same way I do unicorns. I am going to have to work on that."

"We can try to find some books on what the mind healers do," said Ginny. "We have to find a method that works, and keep practicing."

"We need to find some books on legilimency and occlumency as well," said Hermione. "Books on the mind arts, in general. That may give us a start."

"You will be the key, Harry," said Luna. "You already do this, so we need to practice with you."

"I will see what Mother knows," said Harry. "She has raised a couple litters of kittens. I don't remember much about when I started. I will ask when I get home."

"I will try to order some books from Flourish and Blott's," said Hermione. "The Hogwarts library should have something also, as long as the Ministry doesn't consider the information restricted."

"Harry, I am having trouble getting used to the idea you grew up kneazle," said Hermione. "Your foster parents are ... kneazles. I have read several different books on the wizarding world, and I haven't seen anything even remotely mentioned."

"You know what Professor McGonagall said about how wizards treat magical creatures," said Harry. "Xavier is my legal guardian, but my foster parents are kneazles. As far as they are concerned, I am an adult. I have been, for some time. My father is in charge of the pride. Few people would want that kind of information made public. I know I don't. Look what happened to the centaurs, elves, and goblins. All Professor Binns talks about is the goblin wars, and the centaurs have isolated themselves. The elves are something else entirely."

"Let's meet back here at my house in two weeks," said Luna. "That will give us time to gather information. Remember, you guys are welcome to come, any time I am home. I am not planning on going anywhere, and I am on the floo."

"For now, let's go swimming," said Ginny. "I miss swimming at Hogwarts. The lake is so cold, so much of the year. Maybe we can learn a charm so we can swim at Hogwarts."

"I am going home," said Harry. "Xavier wants to give me a civics lesson. Catch you later."

After Harry had disappeared, Hermione asked, "Ginny, so ... what is this about knowing Harry for years?"

"I used to go to my Great Aunt's house for schooling, starting about age five or six," said Ginny, coloring up a bit. "Green Eyes was usually there, and we hung around each other. When Harry became human, we continued to spend time together. He really is one of my best friends."

"It doesn't hurt that he is such a cute cat," said Hermione. Ginny pushed her into the river. The girls had a good time in the river. They were strong swimmers.

Harry went on his first weekend with McGonagall, working on making themselves lighter. It didn't take them long to get to the cabin.

"Harry," asked Minerva, "how much lighter have you made yourself? I can reduce 75 percent of my weight, regardless of form. One would think my smaller forms would be even lighter, but it appears I make subconscious corrections in how much magic to apply."

"It works that way with me, too," said Harry. "Size doesn't seem to matter much, when using magic on one's self. There seems to be some sort of automatic adjustment, developed as we practice. Maybe it is like when I levitate a rock or a feather. They are both easy to move, but common sense tells me I am using more power on the rock. I don't really think about the power difference."

"Want to try flying with the larger version?" asked Minerva.

"Sure," replied Harry. He stepped toward the lake, transforming as he went.

Both of them had made good progress, and they were able to use larger forms to fly. The greater wing span increased their long distance speed, especially for Harry, since he was so much stronger than Minerva. They used their legs and tail very effectively to make course corrections in flight. There was a limit to how fast he could fly. Wind resistance became too much at higher speeds. He could tighten up quite a bit for a dive, making himself long and narrow. It took much of his considerable strength to bring out his wings at the bottom of a dive. Minerva wouldn't dare try it. She was impressed.

They also spent time jumping from limb to limb, to and from the ground, in different sizes. The smaller sizes were better for moving through the trees. Harry could make some really long and high jumps, but it was hard to judge just how hard to jump, to make a target. Wings were much better for longer distances, since they were able to make corrections after the jump.

They made their way back to the cabin, transforming in the front yard.

"I really enjoyed that," said Minerva. "What are you going to try next? I doubt you will stop with this."

"Disillusionment," replied Harry. "I want to be able to fly anytime, without worry of being seen. Flying is too much fun not to be able to do it at home and Hogwarts."

"That's a good idea," said Minerva. "That has kept me from flying all these years. I need to try that as well. I enjoyed myself quite a bit today. It would be a pity to need to come here to practice. Disillusionment is not something we teach at the school. Too much temptation for the students for mischief."

"I asked Xavier about it," said Harry. "He disillusioned me, so I could see how the process feels. I have been able to get the charm started. He is a retired auror. He has been teaching me self-defense. He thinks it is important for everyone to know."

"My husband taught me disillusionment," said Minerva. "I have never tried to transform after I disillusioned myself. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before now." She disillusioned herself, and made the transformation. Harry could see a shimmering for a short time, that became smaller, and disappeared. Then the shimmering reappeared, and Minerva canceled the charm.

"What did you see, Harry?" asked Minerva.

"You disappeared briefly," said Harry. "A disturbance appeared where you were, and the disturbance became smaller. Then that disappeared."

"That is how the charm works," said Minerva. "As long as I don't move, I am invisible. If I move slowly, a person would need to be looking right at me, to see that disturbance. A rapid movement looks like heat shimmer. It is practically impossible to see the shimmer in dim light."

"How long does it last?" asked Harry.

"I have never had it stop, without a finite," said Minerva, "but I have never really put it to the test, either."

They had a pleasant meal, and talked for several hours, before going to bed. After breakfast the next morning, Minerva disillusioned Harry and herself, and they took off for the skies in their large form. They quickly discovered a problem. When they were soaring, riding the thermals without beating their wings, they completely lost each other. They kept in contact with each other by small vocal responses. It was easy for them to become separated by quite some distance. They also could have conceivably collided in mid-air. They discussed this when they returned to the cabin, though Harry would have sense her when she got close.

"That's an interesting problem," said Harry, as they walked back to the cabin. Minerva had terminated the charms. "I wonder if that is why thestrals' invisibility seems to be selective. People who have seen people die can see them. Thestrals need to be able to see each other."

"Muggles can't see them at all," said Minerva. "Muggles can't see dementors either."

"Is there a group disillusionment charm, such that only people in the group can see each other?" asked Harry.

"I have never heard of one," said Minerva. "You could ask Professor Flitwick when you get back to school. He might be aware of the problem. He has a mastery in charms."

They had lunch, and spoke about the invisibility problem for a while. Minerva thought there might be some charms that would let an invisible group see each other. Harry remembered being fascinated by bats, as a young kitten. He would watch them until he couldn't see them any more, and he had pretty good night vision. The bats would catch insects with remarkable accuracy. They discussed how bats use sound to navigate. There were several possible solutions to the invisibility problem. They talked about transfiguration, in general, for a while, after that.

Minerva wasn't ready to go flying again, so Harry asked her to make him invisible again, and he went for a long flight. Harry had a highly developed sense of direction and location, and it was unlikely he would get lost. In addition, there were several good landmarks in the area. Harry had a good flight, and traveled several miles in his four hour trip.

Harry and Minerva ate supper, and talked until late in the night. He would be back the first weekend of August. They rose early in the morning, and she escorted Harry to the floo. Harry made it in time for his 8:00 a.m. training. Sam worked with him on his disillusionment, and stealth charms.

Harry went over to Ginny's later in the day. She wasn't there, so he went to Luna's, where he found them. They were sitting by the river, discussing some of the information they had found in their kneazle communication project.

"Hi Harry," the girls chorused, as he transformed.

"Hello," said Harry. "I asked Mother about what she did to teach kittens. She played games, and we couldn't get enough. Kittens can really focus really well on their mother. She said it doesn't take long before the young ones catch on."

"What are we going to do?" asked Ginny.

"We play a game, I think," said Harry. "Ginny, do you still have those old Tarot cards we used to play with?"

"Yeah," said Ginny, "but I don't have a complete set. There are several partial decks."

"Let's go over to your house," said Harry. "We can take the cards out to the pond. I will show you what I am thinking of."

They lost no time getting over to Ginny's. It was fun to run as cats anyway, and they were all pretty fast. Ginny got the cards, and joined them at the pond. Harry spread the cards out, looking for similar cards. He found some, and made a few piles of cards. He gave five cards to each of the girls.

"We all have the same five cards," said Harry. "I am going to look at one card, and try to send all of you the image in my mind. You pick the card in your hand that you think I am holding, and lay it face down, until all of you have chosen." He picked a card. After about an hour, the girls were starting to have success. Luna was doing the best.

All of a sudden, Ginny shouted, "Oi, I got it. Clear as a picture."

"I can get several different decks of flash cards," said Hermione. "I used to use them to memorize facts when I was little. Mum used to play with me. I'll bring some back with me next time."

"If this goes like I think it might, you won't need cards very long," said Harry. "Pretty soon you will be practicing with each other. You should be able to sense emotion, using this method. You can practice sensing emotion any time, with any creature. Hermione, you might even start practicing with Crooks. He likes being called that, by the way. I have to run. A couple of my brothers and I are going out on patrol. See you around."

"What did Harry mean by that?" asked Hermione.

"Kneazles like to get involved in security of the household," said Ginny. "They are good at it. They contribute to the household that way."

"Do you watch out for us, Crooks?" asked Hermione. Crookshanks just nodded yes. "Thank you," she said.

"What are your brothers up to this summer?" Luna asked. "I haven't seen much of them.

"The twins still have their summer job," said Ginny. "I hardly see them, except at meals. They are either working, or developing one of their concoctions. Ron and Neville spend a lot of time at the Longbottom estate. It is huge, and as cats, they probably just disappear. Ron loves that enchanted quaffle McGonagall gave him. He's going to wear it out, and he has started helping Neville in his greenhouse. It's a way for them to pick up a little cash, selling plants and parts to suppliers. If they aren't at the Longbottom's, they are here on the pitch. Mum is happy Ron had found such a good friend. Mum likes you girls too. I'm not ready to tell her about cats, and neither is Ron."

"Why not?" asked Hermione. "I showed Mum and Dad, and they were thrilled."

"Mum is really protective," said Ginny. "She is a professional worrier. At the least, she would be happy the Professor worked with us, but I'm not ready to turn that rock yet. Let's go get wet. I told Mum I'd do laundry later."

Harry continued to meet Ginny most every night he was home, not that Ginny was passing that information around, just to get teased. He had been visiting for years, and there wasn't any reason to quit it. The summertime window was open all of the time. She started to make rapid advancement in kneazle communication. This helped the other girls in their practice, since they met three or four times a week. The floo was very convenient.

Ginny hadn't learned much of the self-defense that Harry had, since she didn't really have much driving her toward learning defense. She had dabbled with the shields. The disillusionment charm was another matter. She started learning it while Harry did. She was really excited to learn that charm. Desire is THE key to learning anything. She was still disappointed she hadn't known how to start learning the kneazle language when she was younger. It would have been useful in the early days of her animagus transformation. Ginny was getting rather hooked on certain aspects of wandless magic, as well. When Harry told her she had access to wandless magic in her animagus form, well ... she was a goner. She just had to be out of sight of certain members of her family. She liked to read, draw, and alter clothing ... an essential skill in the Weasley household. She wasn't fond of household chores, but it was a reality of life. She had a child's household wand for chores and cooking. She could try to slip in a little wandless magic. Chores were not heavy magic. Most objects were already charmed for household use. If she got caught, she would just say she was practicing left-handed. Her mother pushed her harder to learn the various household skills, than she did her sons. Her sons still had to learn a minimum amount of housekeeping.

The hands on Molly's enchanted clock were carefully calibrated with the magical signature of the Weasleys. It had no trouble detecting Ginny's signature when she was a cat. Her mother knew she was safe out on the grounds. Molly had no idea how much time the girls spent as cats.

The next time Harry joined the three girls, a couple weeks had passed, and it was starting to rain. She told them to go the barn, while she ran to the house to tell her mother where they would be during the rain. She didn't want the embarrassment of an irate, worried mother. She had learned that lesson long ago. She quickly joined them in the barn.

The Weasleys had a chicken coop, but they didn't have any other farm animals. The barn contained Arthur's work shop, and it stored his ... hobby. Hermione caught Ginny as she came through the door.

"Ginny, I didn't expect you to have these vehicles," said Hermione. "That's a Ford Anglia in the corner. I don't recognize the old lorry, but who is working on the glider?"

"All this stuff is Dad's," said Ginny. "He has transfigured every piece of the glider from plans he got somewhere. He's been working on it for a couple years. The other two came from the scrap yard in town. Dad restored them himself, practically piece by piece. He rather enjoys it."

"I thought most of the wizarding world didn't want anything to do with muggles," said Hermione.

"They don't," said Ginny, "but Dad isn't like most. He is in charge of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department at the Ministry, and he has had this hobby forever. Most wizards think he is rather eccentric."

"Where is he going to fly the glider?" asked Hermione. "Is there an airport in town?"

"Yeah, not far from here, actually," said Ginny. "Pretty small, though. Big enough for what Dad wants."

Harry was looking at the glider, and running his hands over it. "I've watched the planes over there," he said. "They have something on front that moves. They make a lot of noise."

"Dad told me this one doesn't have an engine," said Ginny. "It needs to be pulled by another vehicle to get it in the air. After that, it is a matter of skill to keep it in the air. If I know Dad, this one has some magical safety features. The Anglia could fly, until the twins took it out. Dad removed the flying charms. He can't get caught owning a flying muggle vehicle that isn't supposed to fly. He decided to make this. I think all Weasleys have a love of flying."

"Do you think your Dad would talk to me about it?" asked Harry.

"You haven't paid attention to Dad, have you Harry," said Ginny. "You will be lucky to escape, after he gets started. No one around here risks it anymore."

"How do I ask him?" asked Harry. "He doesn't really know me."

"That's easy," said Ginny. "I have Mum set up a picnic again, and all you have to do is mention to me that you have seen airplanes flying where Dad can hear you. That will get his attention. Then, you say you wish you knew more about them. Then, you're a done deal."

"Sounds like fun to me," said Harry. "You know how much I like flying. I can't believe Ron isn't out here."

"If it doesn't involve a broom," said Ginny, "then it won't catch Ron's attention."

Hermione was all ears. She was astounded that Harry and Ginny had such a strong friendship, and her parents really didn't know about it. She doubted Ron really knew about it. She didn't know the twins well enough.

"Dad will probably jump in too, if he can get away to come," said Hermione. "He will be interested in this. He has a pilot's license. He regularly rents small planes for fun."

"Enough about the glider, Harry," said Ginny. "Test us. We have been busy."

Harry started with the tarot cards, and the girls did well. He used the flash cards, and again the girls did well. Harry looked at Luna, and projected 'Hermione'.

Hermione said, "What?"

"Good," said Harry. "You are ready for words. Kneazles don't use words, but it will be easier for you if you guys do. At least for now. It is a beginning. How is your work with Crookshanks?"

"I am confused," said Hermione. "I think he understands me, and I think I am getting pictures from him, but I don't know what they mean."

"You aren't getting the rest of the information yet," said Harry. "Keep working on it. I think you three will be able to mentally talk to each other, before you can understand Crooks."

Harry started broadcasting kneazle. He could tell from the emotional response, Ginny and Luna were understanding a bit, but Hermione was still struggling.

"You guys have made good progress," said Harry. "As much as I would like to stay, I have got to go." Harry gave a glance to the glider, transformed, and was gone.

The picnic was two weeks later, in the Weasley's back yard. The Grangers had been able to come, as had Luna and Neville. The Weasleys were there, minus Charlie, Bill, and Percy. The kids were getting ready to take brooms to the pitch when Harry heard a plane.

"Why can't the people in the plane see the what you are doing on the pitch?" asked Harry. He knew of the charms most wizarding households had to hide from muggles, but Harry was fishing.

"We have rather effective Notice Me Not charms placed around the Burrow," said Arthur. "Mine are better than most."

"I've watched planes down by the airport now and then," said Harry. "I wish I knew more about them."

"I fly at least once a month," said John Granger. "I got my license when I was in college."

"You do," said Arthur. "I've got a glider in the barn that is nearly finished. Do you want do see it?"

"Absolutely," said John. "There is a glider club at the airport I usually fly from. I have never gotten involved with them, but I see them towing gliders regularly." Arthur and John started walking to the barn.

"You coming Harry?" asked George. "We are going to toss the quaffle."

"No," replied Harry. "I want to see the glider."

"That's dead boring," said Fred. "See you at the pitch." Harry and the girls followed the men into the barn.

"I've been working on this a little over two years," said Arthur. "All of the pieces are charmed receptive to magic, similar to the parts of a broom. It's nearly finished. I hadn't worked out the details on how I was going to get her in the air legally. I chose the glider because it doesn't use muggle technology. Muggle electronics and magic don't work so well together. I charmed this chair over here so I could learn to fly it." In the corner, there was a small platform with a chair, a few levers, a stick and foot pedals.

"I could get accredited for towing, I'm sure," said John. "I would love to work with you to get her in the air. You will need a radio to fly in muggle air space. How does this work?" They were all looking at Arthur's training chair.

"The chair has some properties of a broom," said Arthur. "I have never had it past the pitch. The boys laugh at me when I take it out."

"Can you show us?" asked Harry. Harry was obviously smitten with the device.

"Sure," said Arthur. He sat in the chair, moved a lever, and it hovered. "This lever controls up and down. This one is forward and reverse. The stick and pedals are identical to the glider." He moved the chair all around the barn.

Arthur stepped off of the small platform the chair sat on, and walked to the glider. "Let me show you what the controls really do," he said. "Look what happens here and here when I move the stick. Look what happens here when I move the pedals."

Harry knew exactly what moving those flaps would have the wings do. "How can I find out more about planes?" asked Harry.

"I know where there is an air show next weekend," said John. "I could take you, and who ever else would like to go. You could see gliders, like this one, kites, single engine planes, commercial planes, and the military usually puts on a demonstration."

"I'd like that," said Arthur.

"Me too," said Harry and Ginny.

"You think Molly and the other kids would like to come," asked John.

"I will find out," said Arthur. "Either I will let you know, or Ginny can tell Hermione."

"Can we take the flying chair out to the pitch?" asked Ginny.

"I don't see why not," said Arthur. "It does have protection charms on it. It slows down as it nears the ground, no matter what you do with the controls. Otherwise, I would have dove into the ground a couple times. I will show you what the controls do."

"Can you put more chairs on it, Dad?" asked Ginny.

"Sure, that's easy," said Arthur smiling. He took his trainer out to the pitch, and showed Harry and Ginny both how to move around. He put two extra seats on it, behind the control chair.

Harry and Ginny took turns flying the chair. Hermione didn't take the controls, but she did enjoy being a passenger. Luna watched from the ground for most of the time, but she finally took a ride as a passenger. Fred, George, Ron, and Neville flew circles around the trainer on their brooms, laughing and pointing. They weren't interested in the chair. The trainer wasn't designed for speed, but it was fully functional. It would even fly upside down.

Arthur and John started their friendship over the glider, and made plans to take it out later in the year. They both saw how infatuated Harry and Ginny were with the trainer. They would have no trouble getting pilot's licenses from the Ministry. Arthur's glider was vertical take-off and landing, but he was looking forward to learning all of the details to fly in muggle air space. There was no hurry, of course.

The week ... flew by ... and Arthur, Molly, Harry, Ginny, and Luna used the floo to get to the Granger's. Ron and Neville were busy in the green house, and the twins were busy on projects. Percy had no interest what so ever. John rented a van, and took them to the air show.

The wizards were suffering from information overload. They saw powered kites, all types of small air craft, as well as commercial and military machines. The small, single engine stunt air craft put on quite a show, as did some F-5s, A-10s, and F-17s. The VTOL Harrier received a lot of attention also. The outing was a lot of fun.

Harry had had a good time flying in Arthur's trainer, but these planes could do so much more. The stunt pilots were amazing, and the military planes were noisy and fast. Very fast. John Granger said they could go quite a bit faster, but they weren't allowed to in residential areas. He explained that they used similar controls to Arthur's trainer, but differed in design and engine power. There was one crash, but the pilot wasn't seriously injured. Molly was unsettled with the crash. Arthur assured her his glider would not crash. Harry didn't have any time to spend on the flying machines, but he definitely wanted to investigate them at some point in the future.

Harry returned to Minerva's retreat the first weekend of August. They put their bags away, and took to the air for a long flight. They used a moderate size form, a little larger than a swan, and rode the thermals until lunch time. They were both becoming accomplished flyers in their cat form. Lunch was simple, but hearty, and they had a long conversation while they ate.

"Harry," she asked. "How is your disillusionment coming along?"

"Pretty good now," replied Harry. "I have to use my wand, but the disillusionment holds while I transform, and until I finite. I think I am close to disillusionment wandlessly. I have been flying in Ottery St. Catchpole, and I have remained undetected. I would know, from the reactions of animals. One of my tutors has been showing me some other stealth charms. I am really quiet when I go out."

"What will you work on now?" she asked. "I know how diligent you are in your magical studies."

"I have started concentrating on different spells, using wandless magic," replied Harry. "I discussed it with Xavier, and he gave me a plain wooden wand to use at school. I told him I was spending as much time trying to learn wandless magic as I was for magic with my wand. He said wandless magic takes a lot of time and practice to learn, and more or less told me I may as well spend all of my time on wandless magic, as long as what I am doing is not critical ... like medical training or self defense. He said I would look almost like a squib, if I don't use my wand. What do you think?"

"It really depends on what you want to do with magic," said Minerva. "I can't think of many reasons why a person wouldn't want to use a wand, since they do their best work with a wand. There is no wandless magic that a person can't do better with a wand."

"If I can do a spell wandlessly," asked Harry, "will there be a problem doing that spell later, using a wand?"

"You probably won't have the fine control a person develops, practicing with their wand," said Minerva. "If the work is critical, you should use a wand. That being said, most of what we do at Hogwarts is not critical, like changing a block of wood into a mouse. We teach fundamental theory, and prepare students for living in the wizarding world. We give guidance to those we think might have particular skills in a certain area. I think you are particularly skilled in transfiguration. If you want to try your school work wandlessly, your grades will fall. I think you should discuss what you are doing with Professor Flitwick, since your performance will suffer there. Your potions grade will remain unaffected, as will arithmancy and runes. How do you think your defense class would fare?"

"It shouldn't matter," said Harry. "Most of what we do in DADA is theory, and light wand work. I have spent more time practicing wandless defense, than any other area. My shields are strong. I should be OK."

Minerva thought a moment, and said, "You really want do be able to do magic as a kneazle, don't you? Do you plan to return to the kneazle world?"

"I do want to be able to do magic as a kneazle," said Harry. "I am the same person, regardless of shape or form. My senses are better as a kneazle, but that is probably because my actual eye and ear structure is different. I will always be kneazle, but I don't think I will stay in that form permanently. I like to relax as a kneazle, and spend time with my family. I actually feel more ... normal ... as a kneazle. Wizards are the only magical creatures that use a wand, and I don't want to limit my magic to a wand."

"I do want to offer an apprenticeship to you when you are finished with your schooling," said Minerva. "Do you think you would actually be interested?"

"If you offered it to me today," said Harry, "I would take it. I know how important transfiguration is to the healers. I can't say what might change in four years. My last four years have been eventful."

"I will support your wandless work," said Minerva, "I will also speak with Filius about it. Please consider yourself my unofficial apprentice. You won't get special treatment, of course, but I am most interested in your education."

"Thank you, Professor," said Harry. "I like working with you."

"As deputy Headmistress, I am aware that the DADA professor will change this year," said Minerva. "Please keep this information to yourself. You will have to decide whether you tell the new professor about your wandless capabilities."

"I have no reason to tell any one else. That would just draw attention to me. What happened to Professor Lupin?" asked Harry. "Is he all right?"

"I am not at liberty to say why," said Minerva, "as it is personal, but he is OK, as far as I know. I was unhappy to see him go."

"How are you doing with your wandless magic?" asked Harry. "Are you going to continue?"

"I am continuing," said Minerva. "It will never match my ability with a wand, but it is interesting. I can see why you are drawn to it."

"Xavier said Dumbledore is good at it," said Harry. "He said he is good because of his age and experience."

"I am sure that is true," said Minerva. "I don't have much occasion to see his wandless magic. We spend most of our time as administrators. Xavier has probably seen Professor Dumbledore fighting with it. I haven't had much occasion to fight along side of him. My husband did."

"That is another reason I want to learn wandless magic," said Harry. "I didn't like being trapped as a kneazle with no access to magic to defend myself. I think of myself as kneazle. Does that bother you any?"

"No, of course not," replied Minerva. "I understand as well as anyone, what it is like to be animagus. You are more than human. You should never think about denying what you are. I will enjoy your apprenticeship, unofficial and official. I do want you to use your wand on the projects I assign you, from time to time. I will make most of them medically related for now. What do you want to do this weekend?"

"I think we should have fun," said Harry with a grin. "Where would you like to ride the thermals?"

"I have some beautiful places to show you," said Minerva. "I grew up here, and my heart will always be in the Highlands. Let's go."

She showed him mountains and waterfalls, streams dotted with trout, valleys where farm animals had gone feral. The cats made them very nervous when they were visible. They watched birds of prey at work. When they returned to the cabin, they talked long into the night. Minerva wondered at how maternal she felt toward Harry. He had become one of her ... grandchildren ... quite accidentally. Harry knew it, of course, on an instinctive level. It was a kneazle thing. He just accepted it.

Monday morning he was back in the training room. His wandless stunners and blasters were gaining power. He would be taking the measuring devices with him. Later that week, his wandless disillusionment became effective. He was also becoming quite good with the wandless darts. Sirius came over on Friday, and they threw a few curses around the room.

"Harry, I have tickets for us to the World Cup," said Sirius. "Do you want to go?"

"Sure," said Harry. "Who else is going?"

"Just Remus," replied Sirius. "He has moved in with me. He has started tutoring again."

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"Long story," said Sirius. "Doesn't much matter. Can't change anything. Remus enjoys teaching. Anyway, we will pick you up on Friday night, the last weekend of this month. It should be fun. This is THE quidditch match of the year."

"The Weasleys are going," said Harry. "Ginny told me Arthur picked up tickets from work. She said there would be a lot of people there."

"Yeah," said Sirius. "People from all over the world. Quidditch doesn't get any better than this. You talk to that red head a lot, don't you? Are you guys an item yet?"

"No," replied Harry. He knew what Sirius was feeling. Harry had watched human courtship rituals. "She is the first friend I had, outside of the pride. Kneazles don't really mate up that way. Each pride just has one mating pair. I haven't given such things any thought."

"You will, lad," said Sirius. "You will. You just turned fourteen. You got my birthday present, didn't you? Why didn't you have a birthday party?"

"It's just another day," said Harry. "I don't feel the need. Xavier tried to talk me into it. Do you have birthday parties?"

"No," replied Sirius. "That was a long time ago. The only person who knows, or would really care, I suppose, is Remus. We just go out on the town, and knock back a few pints. Any excuse for a few pints, is a good one."

"Ready to head out into the woods?" asked Harry.

"Sure," said Sirius. There were a lot of acres to romp around in.

Ginny continued to make rapid progress in kneazle communication, even though she had to make a conscious effort to turn it 'on'. There were very few pieces of information they couldn't pass silently, since they were using words. Their friendship deepened even further, since kneazle communication has emotional content, and Ginny was getting strong feedback. Harry brought over some of the pride, and she had little trouble talking with them. It was different, and she enjoyed it immensely. She used English, and they used kneazle. Harry's father walked onto the property, and Ginny could feel the respect and loyalty the kneazles broadcast when he arrived. Harry's father was broadcasting ... affection, in a profoundly comforting sense. He was the patriarch, and he approved of Ginny. There were, indeed, no secrets among the kneazles. Ginny was going to have to get used to this. If Harry felt this with the unicorns, there was no doubt why Harry ran with them.

Ginny could use her emotional awareness around her family. She really enjoyed it, but it came with a price. The skill made her a bit empathic, as far as she was concerned. She had to watch her teasing now, because she knew if their feelings were actually hurt. She knew when her mother was anxious, and she was anxious a lot. Her youngest brother had insecurities, and she understood him better now, regardless of what he said. Percy was self-absorbed and ambitious. He was sorted into Gryffindor, but if there was ever a Slytherin Gryffindor, she figured he fit the bill. The twins were ... well ... the twins. Her father was thoughtfully careful in how he displayed his feelings, such that he was a calming influence in an excitable family.

Ginny's friendship with the girls deepened also, as they practiced their ... kneazle work. She might as well say she had two sisters now, for all tense and purposes. Luna made rapid progress, but while Hermione made progress, she was trying too hard, and Ginny told her so. This ... awareness ... couldn't be forced.

Percy didn't care to go to the World Cup, as he was busy in his own projects. Molly had no desire to attend either, so there was a ticket for Hermione and Neville. Ginny had permission to invite Hermione. A happy Hermione instantly went home, and asked her parents if she could go. She could go to this major wizarding event. Luna was going with her father on an expedition into Sweden before school started.

Sirius had an early portkey to the World Cup, so they could get in the day before, get settled, and drink a few pints. He was the Head of House Black, and it gave him a priority portkey. This portkey didn't need to originate at a particular place, but it did have a particular time. He bought a wizard tent for the event. It had anything he would ever want if he went camping. They took the floo to the Figg's well in advance of the portkey time. Harry was waiting for them, ready to go. They followed him outside into the courtyard.

"Harry," said Sirius, "are you looking forward to the best match of the year?"

"I like to play quidditch," said Harry, "but I can take or leave watching it. I am more interested in seeing the side shows, and different tools and artifacts from different countries. Ginny has told me what might be there."

"That redhead is good for you, Harry," said Sirius. "Cute one, too."

"How have you been this summer, Harry," asked Remus. "Busy?"

"It's been pretty good, Professor Lupin," said Harry. "I train most days, and visit people quite a bit. Xavier teaches me about the wizarding world."

"Remember, please call me Remus," he replied. "I won't be your professor ever again. I am tutoring in Hogsmeade, and living with Sirius."

"OK, Remus," said Harry. "What do you teach?"

"I am pretty versatile," said Remus. "I have taught muggle grade schools and high schools. I am pretty familiar with the wizarding world. I did rather well on my NEWTs, and I am mainly teaching kids in preparation to go to Hogwarts now."

"I visit Sirius now and then, and use his training room," said Harry. "Maybe I will see you there."

"How do you get out of Hogwarts?" asked Remus. "Students are generally restricted to the school."

"I visited Sirius quite a bit during my second year," said Harry. "I don't know if Sirius told you, but I am a cat animagus. Sirius told me how often he and my dad left school in their animagus forms. Last year, the dementors messed that up. Then I found out the wards know when animagi leave, so now I am not sure if I should visit."

"What!" said Sirius. "They knew when we left?"

"Probably," said Remus. "Hogwarts has the best wards in the world. We just didn't know any better back then. It is pretty well impossible to sneak on or off the grounds without the headmaster knowing."

"So, he chooses when to say something?" asked Sirius.

"Pretty much," said Remus. "I have come to realize he doesn't miss much. He does miss something, now and then, I suppose, but he's pretty good."

"Portkey time," said Sirius. "Everyone grab hold."

A minute later, the magical tug pulled them to the portkey site. They checked in, and proceeded to their assigned lot.

"There are some advantages to being Head of House," said Sirius. "Pretty good location, this. I'll wager this tent is the smallest in the area." A activation spell started Sirius' tent expanding, and setting itself up.

Sirius was right about that. Sirius' tent was fairly small, and plain. Some of the tents in this area could have been permanent housing. Several of the lots had animals standing watch inside the boundary, some were obviously dangerous and others didn't appear they would be. Who would want to trust appearances in the wizarding world? Some tents were odd shapes and sizes. There were statues, hedges, flowers, bushes of all sorts in front of the tents. There were animal drawn carts, human drawn carts, and carts Harry couldn't figure out how they might move. There were brooms and flying carpets in the air.

The three took a walk around, and bought a few things from various vendors, apparently from all over the world. Harry took it all in. Three hours later, they returned to the tent. The tent was huge inside. There were four bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and two full baths between the pairs of bedroom. They settled around the living room, and Sirius offered them a pint and cold cuts. Harry asked for apple juice. He knew Sirius kept it around.

Sirius and Remus talked about their exploits at Hogwarts when they were kids, about Harry's parents, and after Harry had been born. The subject of Pettigrew's betrayal came up, and how Sirius had fallen into the trap. Harry told them where he grew up, how he decided to attend Hogwarts, and how he discovered Pettigrew in the boys' dormitory.

By the time Remus began telling what he had done through the years following the death of Harry's parents, several pints had gone down. When Remus talked about how much he had enjoyed teaching at Hogwarts, Sirius spoke up.

"Miserable Ministry," he began. "Threw me in Azkaban without so much as a trial, and tossed Remus out of Hogwarts."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"The Ministry knows about my lycanthropy, of course," said Remus, " and certain people in the Ministry do not want me teaching. It was strongly suggested it is in my best interests to resign, so I did. I don't want to draw any adverse attention to the school."

"You were a good teacher," said Harry. "I won't mention your predecessors. I wonder who they will get this year?"

"Who knows," said Remus. "I make enough tutoring, for incidentals, and I am living with Sirius. I will always enjoy teaching."

"You can stay with me as long as you want, Mooney," slurred Sirius. "You too, Kiddo. Anytime you want to move in, just come on over."

"I think I'll head to bed," said Harry. "The Weasley's portkey is early in the morning, and I said I would meet them."

"You and Red," said Sirius. "Potters always hook up with redheads," he said with a knowing smirk.

"Better not wait for us to wake up, Harry," said Remus. "I have a feeling there will be some late sleepers here. We will catch you tomorrow. Good night."

"Night," said Harry. Harry slept for a few hours, then got up, and went out on the grounds as a kneazle. He met a few other kneazles standing watch within the boundaries of their lot, and said hello. As expected, they were cordial, but not overly friendly. Kneazles take their watch seriously. He could get some impressions from some watch animals. Others, he received nothing at all. No matter whether he did, or not, consensus was, Harry should move on. He ventured into the stadium, and climbed to the top. He looked out over the sea of tents, in the light of the crescent moon. There would be more tomorrow. He roamed around a bit more, then went back to the tent to make his transformation. Who knew what eyes might be watching on these grounds.

He walked down to the reception area to wait for the Weasleys. Half an hour later, they portkeyed in.

"Hi Harry," said Ginny and Hermione. Hellos went all around.

"What have you seen since you got here," asked Ginny.

"I don't even know where to start," said Harry. "There is so much."

"Where are you staying?" asked Hermione.

"Sirius' tent is up by the stadium," replied Harry.

"He must really rate," said Ron.

"He is the Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black," said Harry. "He doesn't care much, one way or the other, but he said it does have certain benefits, now and then."

"Ron," said Arthur, "how about you and Neville go fill these buckets. The water doesn't work in this tent I borrowed. The loo works with an automatic vanishing spell, so don't drop anything in there you don't want to lose." Arthur started setting the tent up by hand. "Fred, George, little help here," he said. It didn't take long, and the girls put the food away that Molly had packed with shrinking charms. Inside, it was actually a large tent Arthur had borrowed, and it had plenty of room. At one time, it was probably top of the line.

The teens went exploring when everything was set up, and Arthur went visiting. They went back to Arthur's tent at lunch time, and Harry left for Sirius' tent, for lunch. People were to start being seated at 1:00, for the match. Arthur's lot had seats in the top box. Sirius had seats dead center. He could have been in the upper tiers, but he didn't care for the company. He preferred the middle of the center anyway.

The Irish were playing the Bulgarians, and Harry was fascinated by the cheerleaders of the professional teams. The Irish cheerleaders were leprechaun, and the Bulgarians cheering squad were veela. The veela had quite an impact on many of the male members of the audience. It wasn't long before announcements were made, and the game was on. Harry was impressed by the flying of both teams, but it became apparent before long that the Irish chasers were a bit better than the Bulgarians. Just after the Irish were ahead by 160 points, the Bulgarian seeker saw the snitch, and gave chase. Harry had seen the snitch a few times when it was on his side of the pitch, but neither seeker had happened to be close enough to spot it at the time. The match was over. The Irish had won by 10 points.

Both Arthur and Sirius had planned to camp for the entire weekend, so they were in no hurry to leave. It was time for visiting and relaxing. Harry rejoined the other teens at their tent. Sirius brought over a picnic basket, and they all ate supper together. The teens played Risk, while the men had a couple pints. Arthur wasn't a heavy drinker. He stopped after a couple. Sirius had only brought a couple more, which he and Remus drank. They called it a relatively early night, and they all agreed to meet at Arthur's tent for breakfast. Arthur was leaving in the afternoon.

Sirius and Remus had a couple more pints back at the tent. Harry kneazled and started for the door, as the two men discussed appropriate names for Harry's animagus form. Harry climbed a tall tree, and settled in to observe the area. It wasn't too long before he saw a disturbance on the south side of the camp. Some men in dark robes and white masks were dangling a family in the air, pushing over tents, and causing a general ruckus. Harry wondered how they could get away with it, with so many wizards in the area. It didn't take long before he saw why. The general population was running in the opposite direction. Not five minutes later, Harry saw a giant skull with a snake in its mouth form among some trees in the area where the crowd had fled. The wizards in the dark robes disappeared immediately, and aurors showed up seconds later. He saw spell fire near where the skull was still floating. The crowd drifted back to their tents after the aurors calmed the scene. The mood was somber.

Harry returned to the tent, and noticed the two men sleeping on couches. He went to bed himself, and woke up early. He kneazled, and went over to Arthur's tent, but no one was up. Several people had packed up and left during the night. Aurors were patrolling the walkways. Harry noticed a couple of them in the air. Harry took a general walk about, and returned to the tent. He woke the men for breakfast, and it took them a while to get ready. They walked over to Arthur's. They hailed the tent, and the occupants were just starting to stir. They ate breakfast while Arthur and the teens told Sirius, Remus, and Harry about the death eaters and the dark mark. Ron's wand had actually been used to conjure the dark mark. The wand must have been lifted from his back pocket while he was watching the game. Ginny thought it was more likely it was lifted while he was ogling the veela. An elf had been accused of being involved in the conjuring of the mark, and been sacked. The spell fire had almost hit the teens. They had hit the dirt to avoid the stunners. The teen animagi had quick reflexes.

Arthur and the teens packed up after breakfast, and took a portkey home. Sirius and Remus weren't in any hurry to go home, but the death eaters had soured the festival. Remus and Sirius hadn't been in the first war very long, but they were able to tell Harry quite a few tales of death eater exploits. They were vicious, cruel killers that like to play with their victims. They were text book terrorists, spreading as much fear as possible, and escaping as soon as real resistance was met. Last night, the death eaters revelry had been interrupted before the actual killing started.

"Why didn't experienced wizards in the crowd take action, if these masked men are so bad," said Harry. "There was about ten of them, and hundreds of adult witches and wizards. Five hundred stunners would have hit ten attackers."

"The Ministry is fond of prosecuting for excessive force, even in self-defense," said Remus. "They like to fine criminal behavior, and throw the offender in Azkaban. The ministry wants complete control of law enforcement. In their defense, feuds and vigilantes have hurt the wizarding world. We have long periods of peace that makes people complacent. Every person involved in an attack, even the defenders, gets a Wizengamut trial. There is no penalty for self defense, of course, but it is unnerving. A decision of using excessive force is not funny. They look right at the person, and ask if he is positive he had to use that defense. Veritas serum is not uncommon. Death eaters are thought to be particularly effective, so people are trained to run, by both criminals and the Ministry. The Ministry boasts that DMLE will protect them. Voldemort's tactics proved the Ministry was unable to do that. Last night was a perfect example."

"I was an auror," said Sirius. "Even we couldn't use lethal force against Voldemort, until the last year. Arthur's kids told you how they were treated last night. They were nearly arrested for being too close to the dark mark ... let alone the fact Ron's wand conjured it. Ron was lucky Crouch's own elf was implicated, or he and the entire lot surely would have been arrested."

"Death eaters use spells that maim and kill, while aurors use temporary stunners and binding spells," said Remus. "Solicitors get the suspected criminals released during Wizengamut trials. Gold talks, and the Ministry is fairly corrupt. Hell, the death eaters were either in the Ministry, or supporting it. You should have seen the list of people exonerated because they were supposedly imperioused. I don't have much that's good to say about the Ministry, but it's all we have. If Voldemort wasn't so vile, I might have joined him. The Ministry has a dim view of werewolves. I just couldn't follow him."

"You were suspected of being a spy for Voldemort by our group," said Sirius, "and I wasn't very vigorous in your defense. The Ministry was no better. I like the Ministry even less, now, after Azkaban. It's insane meglomaniac or self-centered, bigoted politicians that are nearly as bad, in their treatment of the magical world. Just ask the goblins, centaurs, veela, and elves. Hell, ask the average person on the street about the ministry, assuming they would give you an honest answer."

Harry wasn't getting a very rosy picture of the government, and he knew the men held those sentiments with deep conviction. Xavier had told him to keep his history and abilities to himself, and this event only emphasized the need.

They finally stopped talking about death eaters and politicians. Sirius had Harry show Remus the large version of his cat form. They talked about animagi for quite a while, Sirius and Remus' Hogwarts days, describing Sirius and Harry's trips into the woods, what they had seen and done. Remus was impressed, and he hadn't seen the wings.

Harry reflected on his impressions of the men, and their feelings of him. They were enjoying time with James and Lilly's juvenile son that they should have raised. They had their own ideas of what an animagus was ... a way to have fun. It had been for fun and comfort while Remus was a werewolf at Hogwarts. Sirius still used it to play. So, Harry was a kneazle, they thought. A kitty ... well, a large kitty. That just let both men be happy Harry had been safe growing up, while they were otherwise occupied. Everyone knows how protective kneazles are of their young. To them, he was a fourth year Hogwarts student, who needed enough guidance and direction to keep from getting into trouble, with time to have fun and enjoy childhood. Harry understood they cared for him, in several different aspects.

They packed up the tent, and took Harry back to the Figg's. The last week before school started just elapsed like it wasn't there. Hogwarts was really where Harry lived now, but it wasn't home. He was just learning skills that interested him, for various reasons. That is why he went to Hogwarts.


	16. Chapter 16 Goblet of Fire

Chapter 16 The Goblet of Fire

The train ride back to Hogwarts seemed to take no time at all. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, Ron, and Neville enjoyed a Risk marathon that proved once again, time flies when one is having fun. Ron and Neville were not at a disadvantage with the others' skill of perceiving emotions, since the two primary game determining factors were the luck of the draw of game cards, and the roll of the dice. Loose alliances would come and go, succeed and fail. The played individually, and with teams. When one was knocked out of the game, they cheered on the remaining players, visited a bit with others, read for a while, or practiced their silent communication. The game drew the attention of passers-by, and Hermione wondered if the game would spread. Games among the wizards were woefully inadequate, but magic was amazing entertainment in itself. Transfiguration and charms kept a lot of students busy. The only thing that kept students contained was the austere Victorian dress codes when attending class. Otherwise, the bric-a-brac the students could have conjured, and worn, were limitless.

The sorting feast proceeded normally, the students were fed, and the usual announcements were made concerning the use of magic in the hallways, the Forbidden Forest being out of bounds, normal curfew hours, yada yada yada.

"We have one new professor," Dumbledore said at last. "Once again, the position is in DADA. We have Alistor Moody joining us as DADA professor this year. I have been able to coax him out of retirement for at least one year. As some of you may know, he is the most decorated Auror in recent history. He was supposed to be here by now, but it seems he as been delayed." Just then, as if it had been planned, the front doors flew open, and slammed against their stops. In walked a grizzled old man that looked as if he would have a difficult time even making it to the head table. His face was a patchwork mosaic of scars, with a few pieces missing. He had a brilliant, blue eye amid heavy scarring. He walked with a pronounced limp, with an unusual artificial leg, making hollow sounds on the floor.

"Here he is now," said the Headmaster. "Please welcome Professor Moody." A slow, hesitant applause rolled through out the student tables, with subdued murmurs.

"Please, accept my apology for being late, Headmaster," said the new arrival. "I had a little unfinished business."

"That's quite all right," said Dumbledore. "Is there anything you would like to say to the student body?"

"Not at this time," said Moody. "I will meet everyone in class." He sat down at the head table.

Shouts rang out when Dumbledore made his final announcement. The old man planned his shock value well. "Lastly," he said, "I have one more announcement to make. Quidditch will be canceled this year." He paused for the noise to die down. "We will be hosting the first Tri-wizard tournament in over a century. Students will be arriving later this year from Durmstrang and Beauxbaton Academies, such that a champion will be selected from each of the three schools to compete for the Tri-wizard Championship, and 1000 galleons in prize money. An ancient artifact, The Goblet of Fire, will choose the successful contestants. The Ministry has specified that applicants will be restricted to those students who are at least seventeen years old. The Goblet of Fire is charmed to choose contestants based upon their magical ability, and not their age. This age limit will be rigorously enforced by alternate means. Many younger students have lost their life in these tournaments, since actual ability is affected tremendously by experience and temperament. No one younger than seventeen will be allowed to enter. The only exception made will be for students turning seventeen before the first event begins. There are three students who meet the exception criteria. More information will be made available as the term progresses. Prefects, please escort the first years to the dormitories."

Murmuring picked up again, as each student thought about the prize money. 1000 galleons was a fortune for most students. Harry stood up to walk to Gryffindor tower. He really wouldn't mind quidditch being canceled this year. He had already thought about dropping out of quidditch, to make better use of his time. He would rather be in the air with his own wings.

The Weasley twins were among several of the students who were upset, but none was more agitated than Ron. He had been practicing diligently, so he could try out for the keeper position. He at least wanted to be on the auxiliary squad. He had hopes of making a career in quidditch when he graduated. He needed the experience and the record of being a successful Hogwarts player.

Harry woke early, went to the Chamber of Secrets, and practiced his wandless casting. He also practiced with his latest darts. They weren't much more than large needles, since he was guiding them all the way to the target. The tiny darts had very little flight capability. He preferred these when he practiced in a smaller area. He would toss them on the floor, and launch them from where they lay. He returned to the common room, and used the pet tunnel to enter the hallways. He was diligent in keeping track of when and where he crossed wards.

He met the girls on the second floor, and spoke with them easily as cats. The girls were proficient in silent English, what ever their form. Hermione's conversations with Crookshanks were getting better, and she couldn't be happier about it. At 6:00 a.m., they went out onto the grounds. Classes didn't start until the next day. They met Ron, Neville, and the twins as they were sitting down to breakfast.

"Harry," asked George. "What do you think about not being our seeker this year?"

"I'm not too disappointed," said Harry. "We can still pick-up chaser games on the weekend, or fly on the pitch. I play because I like to fly. I can still do that. We can probably still scrimmage with the team and reserve players, if we want. Actually, I was thinking about putting myself on the reserve, if someone can replace me."

"You can't be serious," said Ron. "You are one of the best seekers in years. You can probably play professionally."

"I don't plan to try," said Harry. "I plan to apply for training at St. Mungos, and an apprenticeship, if everything works out. I don't think I can get any busier this year. Luna is picking up most of my time with Hagrid. I will still help him with the healing, when he needs it. You still want to be picked up by a team, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "If I'm not a player, I still want to work for one of the teams in some capacity. Nothing is more important to me, than quidditch. Neville and I have been pretty lucky this summer in the green house, but my heart is in quidditch. I am studying the charms of quidditch, and green house work. That's about all I can handle."

"I wish I could work with my green house at home," said Neville, "but our elves will keep it going for me. I don't want to lose the contacts we made this summer. Professor Sprout is giving me a lot more starts this year. All of my extra time is being spent with her. What are you doing this year, Ginny?"

"I am learning how to animate portraits," replied Ginny. "Professor Flitwick will help me get started. The charm work is pretty involved. Luna and I are working with some of the Hogwarts ghosts who want portraits. It may take a couple years."

"I've been asked to specialize," said Hermione. "Last year nearly killed me. I can't do everything. I am diving into runes and arithmancy."

"Speaking of diving," said Ginny. "Let's get into the lake this year. I don't want to go all year without swimming. I am going to miss our time in the pond and river."

"That is going to take some heavy warming charms," said Luna. "Maybe even some runes. Do you really want to go underwater?"

"It's a pretty big lake," said Ginny. "We probably ought to try. The squid won't bother us. I take that back. It will probably want to play with us. It's always down by the lake's edge."

"Oh, it will," said Luna. "Remember when it put that Creevey kid back in the boat? It will watch us pretty closely. Daddy said there are some rather nasty grindylows in the lake. The merpeople are supposed to be nice."

"Mermen?" asked Hermione. "They are here?"

"Yeah," said Luna. "My grandparents told me about them. They are nice, really. I had forgotten about them, actually."

"More magical creatures," said Harry. "I wonder why Hagrid never mentioned them. He must not like water. Look at the time. I better go. Catch you later."

"Hey George," said Ginny. "Don't go. I want to ask you a question."

"What does little Ginni-kins want to ask?" asked George.

"You guys have one year left," said Ginny. "What are you guys doing this year for electives?"

"Charms, charms, and charms," said George. "No, seriously, we are doing runes, charms, transfiguration, and DADA. We would be doing potions, but we can't do Snape. Our side business is picking up. Kids like eating our canary cremes themselves ... they think it's brilliant being a canary for a while. We just have to make sure the canary can't fly too high. It doesn't last too long. Color changing candy is doing great also."

"Our best seller is fireworks," said Fred. "Zonkos can't beat them. We have actually had to start teaching some of the younger years when to use our stuff, and when not to. It's really stupid to piss off someone with a wand, and let them know you did it. Some people just don't have a sense of humor."

"Then there's people like Harry," said George. "Even if a person can prank him, and that's difficult let me tell you, he doesn't react ... so there's no entertainment."

"Not to mention he can be damned frosty," said Fred, "if he does react. Not that he has, on a prank, mind. There was the ice water, though."

"Frosty hell," said George, "his green eyes can melt iron. They don't miss anything."

"You're right," said Ginny. "Got to know who to pick. You know he wouldn't hurt a prankster."

"Hate to get on his wrong side anyway," said Fred. "We are going to keep working the younger crowd. That's where our market is. The first and second years love it when Atch or Micha slip them something when they're not looking. The upper years are a bit stiff."

"Just wait until we can get our stuff out to the pre-Hogwarts kids," said George. "Fireworks are for older people."

"Class time, Ginni-kins" said Fred. "Later."

Harry's elective school work was with Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. Hogwarts had about 300 students, and there was always someone in the infirmary needing something. There were lots of bruises and cracked bones. He still went to St. Mungos once a week with half a dozen other students, and tutored for transfiguration. He studied runes, with an emphasis on hospital equipment. If there was an aspect of healing, Harry studied it.

Ginny had the six of them in the lake every week end, if not more often while it was still warm. Luna gave them the idea of wet suits, for when the weather became colder. Her father had used them in his travels, and they came with warming charms.

"Professor Flitwick," asked Ginny after class, "Can you help me with the bubble head charm? I swim every summer, and I want to swim in the lake at Hogwarts. It is a large enough lake, it might be fun to go underwater."

"Are you free at 5:00 today?" asked Flitwick. "I don't have a problem helping you with it, but there are some safety issues, if you intend to go underwater. There are several variations of the charm, and we will start with the simplest."

"I am free at 5:00," Ginny replied. "I will be here."

Ginny walked into Professor Flitwick's office after her last class of the day. "Hi Professor," she said.

"Hello Ginny," said the small professor. "I get someone wanting to go into the lake every year. The bubble head charm is in the sixth year schedule. Going underwater is not as simple as it might appear."

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny. "The bubble head charm is a solid shield, with air circulation."

"That is true," said Flitwick. "The problem lies with how deep one wants to go in the water. The simplest bubble head charm can be used near the surface, with little or no air circulation. A person leaves the bubble head open on the upper side, like there was a pipe sticking in the air. People use this frequently to look in shallow water. There are a lot of plants and animals in shallow water. The pressure on the bubble charm rises as a person goes deeper in the water. Also, there has to be more planning for air exchange as one goes deeper, and there are other safety measures, if the bubble head charm fails in some way. There are some countries where working under water is an entire industry. Just not here at Hogwarts. We don't need to go under water to get our fish, and we don't farm underwater plants."

"I don't plan to go very deep," said Ginny. "I just like to swim."

The professor taught Ginny how to use the bubble head charm in the classroom. It could be used for brewing certain potions taught in sixth and seventh year. It was fairly easy to use the same charm in shallow water. Solid shields were taught in defense for sixth year, and the bubble head was a natural variation of the solid shield. Solid shields in the defense class were a bit more rigorous, to stop moving objects.

The weather was still fairly warm, and the Ginny taught the others what the professor had showed her. They enjoyed themselves quite a bit on the weekend. Luna borrowed a couple wet suits, and boot devices for moving through the water, from her father. The boots worked on the same principles brooms did, just not as complex. Ron thought wet suits looked hilarious, but they caught Neville's attention. There are a lot of aquatic plants, and some roots are harvested in cold weather. Flitwick said water transfers heat six time faster than air, and a person could get into trouble quickly in cold water if something went wrong. As it was, they usually swam in the afternoon, after the water had warmed up a bit. They had already discovered some cold spots. Neville wanted to explore some along the edge of the lake for plants, and Luna immediately volunteered to help.

The boots were a big hit with the six. Force pushed down from the boot, to propel them through the water. The force from the boots was controlled by their toes. They changed direction by bending their torso, hands, arms, legs, and ankles. They found out hyper extending their back was painful, and could be prevented by rolling in the water, and bending at the waist. Harry lost no time having Xavier get enough equipment for everyone. Ginny had no idea the bubble-head charm was going to be so much fun. They swallowed more than a little water, from time to time, but the teens just shrugged it off. The old squid enjoyed playing with the teens. Luna had watched dolphins playing, and it wasn't long before they were leaping out of the water, before diving right back in. They would jump over the squid's tentacles, and swim all around him. The squid became quite fond of the young humans, even though they couldn't actually communicate with each other.

Harry asked McGonagall if there would be trouble if he and Ginny took trips into the Forest on weekends. She told him she would allow it, as long as she knew when they left. She didn't want to find out from the ward logs, and she didn't want other students going with them, without more supervision. She knew Harry was experienced in the woods, but she didn't want a bunch of teens, who happened to be animagi, frolicking in the Forbidden Forest. They were likely to get distracted, and hurt. Ginny liked playing in the water more than she like riding Harry's back, so they didn't go in the Forest as often as they might have otherwise. Harry usually went in the Forest by himself.

Professor Moody was strange. He seemed to know the material he taught, well enough, but his brusque behavior made most of the students leary of him. They thought he was a crotchety old fart, and didn't waste any time moving on. The fact that he was a legendary auror, with a harsh reputation, didn't draw any students to him either. Stinging nettles were more friendly than Professor Alistor Moody. Physically, Moody looked like had been disassembled and reassembled a few times, and he walked like some of the pieces were missing. Well, there were some pieces missing. A lower leg was replaced with an ugly wooden prosthetic, but that couldn't account for all of the difficulty Moody had in walking. One of his eyes had been replaced by a blue orb that was a bit larger than a normal eye. It was always moving. He was known as "Mad Eye Moody", but no student would dare call him "Mad Eye". Few adults were that adventurous. Any skin not covered by clothing was scar on top of scar. He didn't seem to move very fluidly, but he could sure bring that wand around quickly. That wand was never far from his gnarled fingers. He seemed to revolve between few emotions: strong fear, heavy suspicion, and bitter anger. Externally, he seemed calm, but internally, he was a mess of mixed emotions. Harry couldn't feel comfortable around him, and neither could the girls. Harry knew that animals that had those kinds of emotions were likely to attack without further warning. Harry noticed that Moody was particularly irritated when Harry himself was talking to the professor, though the old professor didn't show it outwardly.

Harry asked Madam Pomfrey about Professor Moody, during his time in the infirmary one day. She said his injuries were almost as legendary as his captures of criminals. He had spent a lot of time in hospital wards and rehabilitation. Harry mentioned that Moody appeared to carry a potion with him everywhere he went, and he used it often. Harry didn't mention a couple times he had been close enough to smell the potion Moody carried in a hip flask. She said that wasn't uncommon with patients with a history like Moody's. The wizarding world couldn't relieve all the pain from patients like Moody, and pain tended to make people irritable. She didn't have his medical records, and she couldn't discuss specifics if she had them, but she said Harry would see patients like Moody, when he entered the healing profession. Several professions were prone to heavy hospitalization, notably aurors, hit wizards, and curse breakers, just to mention a few. She mentioned that patients with significant battle damage frequently had problems with mental health as well, and she listed several common symptoms. Many of those symptoms seemed to fit Professor Moody rather well.

The other two schools arrived the first week of October. They each brought about twenty students with them. Ron went around the twist, when the Bulgarian seeker, Victor Krum, came with the Durmstrang students. He didn't realize any students were playing professionally. Notably, one of the French students appeared to be at least part Veela, to the delight of the male students at from all of the schools. More than a few of the Hogwarts female population treated her a bit frostily.

Hogwarts held a feast for the tournament the first night the delegations arrived. Several members from the Ministry attended as well. This was the event of the year for the English Ministry. Dumbledore repeated the rules for entry into the tournament. No student under age seventeen could enter, and this restriction was monitored by a rigorous age charm. Once the champions were selected, they would be required to finish the tournament. A magically binding contract formed when one's name was drawn. Eligible students would be allowed two days to formally enter their name, age, and school. Names would be drawn at the evening meal.

The twins lost no time trying to submit their name. They would be seventeen by the end of the tournament, so, if they were selected, they were going to use that to defend their actions. That was no use though, since the age line tossed them away from the Goblet. They sent Atch and Micha in, to see if they could get through. They could not. At least a dozen sixteen year olds tried to enter their name, to no avail. All but one of the successful entrants were in their final year.

Two days passed quickly, and all students and concerned parties gathered at a feast, to find out who would be chosen to represent their schools. After desert was served, and mostly finished, Albus Dumbledore stood up, and said a brief incantation near the Goblet of Fire, which would identify the champions.

"Now it is time for the winning names to be drawn," said Dumbledore. "Those students not selected may return to normal classes on Monday at their respective schools, if they wish. They may attend classes here, if they so desire. We at Hogwarts do hope you from Durmstrang and Beauxbaton will remain with us for the full term."

The Goblet burned brighter, and started to emit puffs of smoke and sparks. Four pieces of paper flew from the top. Dumbledore waved his hand, and all four came to his hand. Dumbledore was disturbed as he rifled through them, but he carried on.

"Please come forward after I call your names," began Dumbledore. "Victor Krum, age seventeen, from Durmstrang. Fleur Delacour, age seventeen, from Beauxbaton. Cedric Diggory, age seventeen, from Hogwarts. Harry Potter, age fourteen, from Godric's Hollow." Everyone was stunned at the fourth name, but applauded quietly as they walked forward. There was a soft white glow around their bodies as they walked. People were whispering, and pointing.

Harry walked woodenly to the front. He hadn't entered. This was an interference in his life he did NOT want. He wanted to return to his seat at the table.

"Would the champions please follow me," said Dumbledore. "The rest of you should enjoy these wonderful desserts." Several professors and the dignitaries followed Dumbledore and the champions into a room by the fireplace, behind the head table.

" Surely, this little boy can't compete," said Fleur Delacour. "He is too young." Harry looked at her. He could feel concern for him coming from the girl. She could barely contain herself.

"It's a mistake," said Harry. "I didn't enter my name, so I won't have to compete."

"Dumbledore," said Madame Maxime, "Surely you don't think this is fair. Hogwarts gets two bites at the apple."

"We are withdrawing," said Karkarov. "I should have known you would pull something like this, with Golden-boy Potter."

"Idle threat," said Moody. "The Tournament is a binding magical agreement. You can leave, but Krum stays."

"Quite right," said Barty Crouch. "The Goblet of Fire will force the contract."

"Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore. "I have to ask. Did you enter your name, or have an older student submit it for you?"

"No, Headmaster," said Harry. "I didn't enter in any way, shape, or form. I have no desire to enter this tournament. I am busy enough, as it is. I respectfully refuse to compete. Please, remove my name from the Tournament, as I will not continue with it."

Several people started to clamor that he was lying, as, suddenly, Harry sank to his knees in obvious pain. It was all he could manage, to keep from screaming. Everyone in the room watched in shock. Harry's magical core analyzed the attack, as his seizures started. The attack lasted about 5 seconds.

"That will happen every time you make a conscious effort to not try your best in this contest, Mr. Potter," said Crouch. "It prevents anyone from throwing the contest. Your earnest refusal to compete started your warnings. Each one will last longer than the previous one, and the warnings will continue in effect until there is a winner. I am sorry, but you really must compete, to avoid sanction."

"I think that clears up THAT issue," said McGonagall, bristling with agitation. "Does any one doubt Mr. Potter's desire to NOT be in this tournament?" She ran her eyes around the room, and no one seemed to want to disagree.

"Lucky me," said Harry in a soft, deep growl, as he knelt on the floor. "I look forward to finding out who entered my name." Anyone could have heard a pin drop in the room.

"I can understand Potter's concern," said Moody. "Who ever entered Potter's name had to do it under a fourth school, and no student is likely to have been able to adjust the Goblet accordingly. Nearly every competing student, age fifteen or under, has died in this tournament. No one did Potter any favor."

Dumbledore quickly resumed talking. "The first event will be in three weeks. You are only allowed to bring your wand with you, as it will be a test of courage and spontaneous ingenuity. All participants are relieved of all exams, essays, and projects. You may complete them, of course, but the Tournament takes priority. Poor performance on your schoolwork will not count against you, in any manner. All three schools understand that selection by the Goblet is an indication of academic excellence. Each of you four will receive an automatic outstanding NEWT in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, with mention as a participant in the Tri-wizard Tournament. All participants receive recognition, regardless of whether they win the contest. You four will be deemed fully qualified, by the International Confederation of Witches and Wizards. Students taking NEWT examinations in other subjects will take them two months after the tournament has finished, to allow for undisturbed preparation. No professor of any of the schools may privately tutor any of you four, in your preparation for the events of the contest, though you may have assistance from your peers. If professors, or staff, do specifically tutor a student for an event, with the student's awareness, the student will experience ... the same sanction that Mr. Potter did. You may return to the student body."

That NEWT information took a little sting out of being forced into this contest, but Harry was still going to look for the person who entered his name. It's just not in a cat's nature to allow itself to be forced into any situation, and he was no exception. Harry and the champions walked back into the Hall. The tables were still noisy. Dumbledore called for everyone's attention.

"It seems that the Goblet of Fire has chosen four champions for the Tournament," he began. "The binding magic of the Goblet has made it known, in no uncertain terms, there WILL be four contestants, even though two of the contestants are enrolled at Hogwarts. Mr. Potter did not enter his name in the Tournament, but he has been chosen. I don't think there are many adult wizards who could get a second name for Hogwarts from the Goblet, let alone a student. We are investigating the issue."

After a pause, he continued. "The Tournament is designed to bring the wizarding world closer together, with a friendly competition. Let's not let this irregularity soil the spirit of federation this contest is founded upon. The quidditch stadium of off limits, so we may prepare. Any students wanting to fly are directed to the other practice areas on the grounds." Dumbledore sat down, and began eating his dessert, somewhat distractedly.

The girls could feel the frustration billowing off of Harry as he approached the table. Luna was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, in a position near the others. She could hear better mentally than she could physically, even though she was close enough to hear most of the conversation.

"Harry, what happened?" asked Hermione. "What did they say?"

"I have to compete," said Harry. "Someone entered my name. The bloody Goblet attacked me when I refused to continue with the Tournament. The chosen champions must compete in earnest, or there is ... pain involved. The pain is ... intense. Moody said few students under age fifteen have survived the Tournament."

"Bloody hell," said Ron. "I wanted to enter my name."

"That glow that surrounded the champions must have been the binding magic," said Hermione. "Did they give you any details of what you are up against?"

"The Tournament takes priority over homework and exams," said Harry. "None of my work in charms, transfiguration, or defense counts, even though I can participate in class if I want. If I want! I have already passed, in those classes, just because my name came out of the fire. I need all the training I can get. No professors can tutor me for the events, but fellow students can help me prepare. The first event is in three weeks. It tests courage and ingenuity, what ever that means. All I can bring with me is my wand."

"We will help," said Ginny. No one really knew else what to say. They could see Harry wasn't in a good mood.

The next morning, Minerva stopped Harry after breakfast. "Harry," she said, "There is a meeting with the champions at 10:00 in the room you went to after you were chosen. You should go there, instead of going to potions. Professor Snape has been informed."

"Thanks," said Harry. "I still haven't gotten used to the idea of being in this tournament. I guess it really doesn't change much. I just do what I do."

"That's a good way to look at it," said Minerva. "You are one of my most dedicated students. I don't know what I would do to help you, even if I could. This tournament is geared toward seventh year students. There is no set way to prepare yourself. I will see you at the normal time this evening."

"Bye, Professor," said Harry. "See you later."

Most students didn't know what to think about Harry Potter's inclusion in the Tournament. They figured he found some way to enter that didn't get Dumbledore and the officials upset. It was just another chapter in the legend surrounding The Boy Who Lived. The 'new' wore off Potter his first year. Potter kept to himself, if he wasn't with his study group. He was nearly invisible, socially. He did a bit of tutoring, and worked in the hospital wing. Most students could recognize him, but they didn't know him. It didn't matter to them there were four contestants, instead of three. The seventh years would be about the only students to have much contact with the foreign students, if they had any at all. Harry Potter's inclusion in the Tournament was just another curiosity about this contest that came from nowhere, canceling quidditch, the most notable aspect of the rivalry of the houses. The Tournament had little impact on most student's lives, if they weren't in seventh year. Most seventh year students had their life rather organized. Who really cared about whether or not Harry Potter was the fourth contestant in this Tri-wizard Tournament?

Harry went to the meeting of the champions. Once there, he was told they were there for the 'Weighing of the Wands', essentially getting the wands performance checked. The press was there, with photographers. Harry became a bit nervous, standing there with the other contestants. Professor McGonagall didn't tell him what the meeting was about, if she knew. He didn't want to dig out his holly wand, since everyone could see his fake one. When it came time, he handed the fake over to Ollivander.

Harry handed his wand to Ollivander, when it came time. "Ah, Mr. Potter," began the wand maker. "Holly, eleven inches, .... phoenix feather ... core." The man's brow furrowed a bit, and he looked up at Harry. Harry desperately sent him a kneazle message ... it wouldn't hurt to try. His fake wand was about to be discovered.

'Please,' Harry thought, 'I know it's a fake, but it's what I use in class. The wand you gave me is fine. You can check it out if you want later. No one knows what I am doing.'

Ollivander's eyes widened, and he understood. He gave the fake wand a swish, and sparks came out. "Everything seems in order," he said.

The reporter, Rita Skeeter, tried to draw Harry into a conversation, but he wouldn't reply to any of her questions. She moved on to more energetic participants, as did the others. Harry wasn't talking.

Harry went to the loo, and switched wands. He found Ollivander standing off by himself, and struck up a conversation. Most people were around the reporters.

"Thanks for checking out my wand earlier," Harry said, handing his wand over. "This one has served me well."

Ollivander checked it out, while not appearing to pay it any particular attention. "My family has been making wands for a very long time, Mr. Potter," the old man said. "They are quite useful, even though many become dependent on them. I heard the other contestants talking to the reporters about how you didn't enter your name."

"The Tournament doesn't really interest me," said Harry. "I stay busy with my own projects."

"I have always done that," said the old man. "I am just fortunate I can make a living doing what I enjoy. I got involved making wands with my family, and I have been with it ever since. I can't sell that many wands, so I do have other work that utilizes cast off parts from magical creatures. Wands just happen to be my favorite. I have had contact with most magical creatures, notably unicorns and dragons. I work well with them. Your wand has a phoenix feather core, but those birds are very elusive." Silently, he added, 'You have met the unicorns?'

'Yeah,' replied Harry silently. 'I met them here, while running in the forest. They have made my stay here more pleasant.'

'Unicorns usually shy away from humans,' said Ollivander, returning his wand. 'I learned to speak with them long ago. Our family has to communicate with magical creatures, to get our materials. Humans are usually emotional wrecks, wanting to take something from the unicorns. Young girls are usually the most open emotionally, among humanity. That has started the myth that unicorns are drawn to virgins, if you can imagine that.'

That brought a smile to Harry's face. 'Humanity has a lot they could learn.' Harry noticed Dumbledore walking toward them. "Hello, Headmaster," said Harry.

"Hello Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore. "I trust everything is in order?"

"Definitely," said Ollivander. "There are no problems with the contestant's wands." Harry moved on, while the two old men continued to talk.

Harry went flying, disillusioned, at night, two or three times a week. Sometimes, he went through the tunnel into the Forest, and sometimes he flew inside the wards. He was drawn to activity near the stadium one night, and landed in a nearby tree.

"I can't believe they're having us bring nesting dragons to Hogwarts," said one man. "These girls don't really like to be moved, once they have laid their clutch."

"What can you expect from the Ministry," said the second. "Idiots, all. They think we can bring dragons here, like tame ducks. I can't believe they are going to have us put fake eggs in the nest. The boss is going to raise hell, if anything happens to those eggs. It is hard enough as it is, to get dragons on the reservation to mate. They are having us bring all four."

"I can't believe we had four clutches this year," said the first. "The eggs haven't even been checked for viability yet. At least we have had a chance to see where we are bringing them. It will be hard to squeeze four in here."

"We can do it," said the second, " but there won't be any extra room. Let's get back, and make our report." They left toward the apparition point at the main gate.

Harry stayed in the tree, thinking. 'Dragon eggs, again. Hagrid will be thrilled. How am I going to get a dragon egg from a nest? I am going to keep my eye on this area for a while.'

Over the next few days, Harry saw the dragons arrive. Hagrid lost no time getting involved. He noticed other professors in the area from time to time, as well.

Professor Moody asked Harry to stay after class. Harry could feel anger radiating off of the man. "Potter," said Moody. "Tough luck about being in the Tournament. I only have one word of advice. Play to your strengths, what ever they might be. I understand you are studying to be a healer." Disgust was now rolling out of the professor.

"Yes, Professor," said Harry. "Nothing interests me more than healing."

"Watch your arse, son," said Moody. "You might need to use those healing skills."

"I plan to Professor," said Harry. "Any word yet on how my name came out of the Goblet?"

"No," said Moody. "Nothing that I can confirm." The man was lying, but Harry had no idea what about. He assumed the old auror just couldn't talk about the investigation.

The first task took place the last weekend in October, and there was a large number of visitors at Hogwarts. The stands at the quidditch pitch had never been this full. The champions had a lunch with their families, before they were to meet for the contest. Xavier was there.

"Harry," said Xavier. "I was very surprised to learn of your involvement in this Tournament. I have had a couple meetings with Dumbledore about it. He is worried, but there is nothing that can be done."

"I know," said Harry. "The Goblet attacked me when I refused to compete. That hurt like hell. I am being forced into this. The only good thing to come of this, is that I am considered a fully qualified wizard."

"Dumbledore told me," said Xavier. "You are still considered underage, as far as your status as Head of House Potter is concerned, but that is just a matter of time now. If there is any way I can help you, let me know. How did you like the water gear I sent you?"

"It is great," said Harry. "We use it often. It makes me wonder what else is available."

"You have a lot to learn," said Xavier. "Just wait until you get out into the real world. Most wizards keep to themselves, but you will be amazed with what is out there. We will take some trips when you get older. In the mean time, be careful. This contest is dangerous. They haven't told me what you are up against."

"I have some idea about this one," said Harry quietly. "I have a plan, or two, but I am worried. The best thing I have going for me is that I am pretty fast. I am good on a broom, and I have stored it near the edge of the stadium, in rain gutters of the locker room. I can't think of any thing else to do. My invisibility cloak probably won't help. I have spoke to Kaasaar, and there isn't much he can tell me. He has never been far from the school. He said dragons are weakest in the eyes, and I am not planning on hurting a dragons eye's for this stupid contest. Everyone just says to keep aware, and do my best. No shit. Most wizards my age have died in this thing. I really want to know who entered me."

"Be careful with that," said Xavier. "The Prophet is making a big deal about you being in the Tournament. Consensus is, you found a way to enter your name. The paper would never suggest someone is trying to get you killed, but I can't come up with any other scenario. I noticed you didn't give any interviews. You are The Boy Who Lived, and ex-death eaters are out there. Further more, you are very wealthy, but I haven't found out who gets it, if you die. I am looking, but solicitors will salivate over that idea. The Ministry would get involved also. There are several in there, I don't trust. Anyway, do what you need to, to survive this thing. If you have to use your animagus ability, do it. Dragons, huh?"

"I will transform if I must," said Harry, "but I want to avoid it, and just go to school. Yeah, it's bloody dragons. I know all of the champions know it. I have seen how they are acting. Can't keep your attitude from changing after you find out about dragons. Hard to keep dragons a secret in a place like Hogwarts." They ate their lunch, and continued speaking quietly.

The champions met in a tent on the south side of the stadium. "You are here to steal dragon eggs," said Bagman, the man briefing the contestants. "There are four different nests, each magically hidden from the other until we choose to lift the cover. Nesting dragons are not casually moved. The dragon will have its full attention on you as you approach her. A dragon handler will levitate a fake golden dragon egg into the nest as you approach. Your task is to get the golden egg from her clutch, without slaying the dragon, Mr. Krum. You should also not waste your time trying to levitate the egg from the clutch. The egg has a clue inside for the second task. Good luck, contestants."

Harry drew the fourth dragon, a Hungarian Horntail. The other contestants were noticeably nervous. They were called to leave the tent in turn, one at a time. Finally, Harry's name was called.

Harry acciod his broom, as he approached the site. He knew flying was one of his best skills, but he wasn't about to transform for this event. The dragons were at least familiar with dragon handlers. The dragon wouldn't let a cat near her clutch. The broom came whistling through the air, and stopped below his hand. He grabbed it, and continued his walk toward the irate mother. He was ready to sprint for all he was worth, and jump on his broom.

He could hear her hissing, "Egg thief. I heard. Eggs were destroyed. Roar! Egg thief, you won't get mine. Roar! Egg thief. Die before you get my eggs. Roar! I kill you first. Egg thief." Flames shot over Harry's head. A warning. She gave him a warning. She wasn't fully gone into a rage.

Harry shot flames from his wand in a similar fashion, above and away from the dragon's head, to get her attention, and he hissed quietly, while sending calm emotional signals kneazles and unicorns would understand. He didn't know if the dragon could receive those signals, but he was sending them any way. He moved slowly, and in rhythm. The crowd watched in amazement. Was he dancing for the dragon? "Wrong egg in your nest, great one," hissed Harry so quietly, he doubted any but the dragon could hear. He sent a picture of the egg in her nest. "Wrong egg in your nest." The dragon lowered her head, and Harry knelt on one knee. "Wrong egg in your nest. I have need of it, great one. No harm comes to your nest."

She snorted, and smoke rose from her nostrils. She slowly turned her head, keeping an eye on Harry, and looked in the nest. There it was. Keeping her head between the nest, and Harry, she brought her tail around, and nudged out the golden egg. One eye watched Harry, and one eye watched the nest. The dragon still was agitated, but she brought the egg around with her tail. "Wrong egg in my nest," she hissed.

Harry picked up the egg, and slowly moved backward. The dragon's eyes were on him the whole time, smoke puffing from her nostrils. He stopped, knelt on one knee again, and made a bow ... not unlike one would give a hippogriff. He rose, and walked backward toward the tent.

The crowd, that had been holding its breath, just lost it. Few people had ever seen dragons, and the crowd watched the event with great fervor. They knew who Harry Potter was now.

Hagrid and Sirius lost no time getting to the tent.

"Harry!" exclaimed Hagrid. "You've learned a lot in my class, but ... how did you do that?"

"You took five years off my life," said Sirius. "You just stood in front of a bloody dragon."

"I was going to try to out fly her jaws," said Harry, "but she shot me a warning, so I took a chance. The dragon handlers have to have some way of dealing with dragons. These are not wild, even though she wasn't taking any chances. I gave her time to look in her nest."

"Krum hit his dragon with a conjuctivitis curse," said Sirius, "and she broke half her eggs. Krum was lucky to escape with his life. His dragon nearly went berserk. I thought they would have to kill it."

"Diggory distracted his with a dog, transfigured from a rock," said Hagrid, "but he still got scorched. The French girl used flame freezing and distraction, but her dragon nearly caught her. Her robes caught on fire."

Bagman called out to the contestants, who were sitting on hospital beds. "You all did remarkably well. The golden egg has a clue for the second event. You may make any preparations you need, based on that clue. Wands only, when you show up for the event. The event will be in February. You were all successful, and you are very close in point count. Pity about those eggs, Mr. Krum. I must say, Mr. Potter, you surprised us all. Any word you can give us on that?"

Harry just shook his head, and said nothing.

Madam Pomfrey was grumbling about subjecting students to the ire of dragons, including one of the best students she had taught, in years. Potter was a natural healer. Healers don't fight dragons. She thought he might be empathic. "I thought I might be trying to regrow limbs on you four," she said, "and that is tricky. The injuries have to meet certain conditions. As it is, there were serious burns. When I heard what to expect in the medical tent, I nearly yanked Dumbledore's beard. I don't CARE that the area was full of dragon handlers." She walked away muttering about the Ministry and the Tournament.

Harry spoke to Minerva during their evening session. Most of their transfiguration work continued to involve healing. He mentioned he was still flying at night, disillusioned. As usual, the topic of the Tournament came up. She always danced around the details. She had seen Harry's pain once, and that was enough. "The final event never changes much, and it is quite rigorous," she said. "That is where most students have been killed, not that those dragons weren't dangerous. How did you get your egg?" She figured discussion, after the event, was safe.

"It appears dragons can understand a kneazle," said Harry. "She wasn't in a blind rage yet, and I was able to show her the ... addition to her nest. She didn't want the phony egg, or me, near her nest. She let me have the phony, but she didn't trust me very far. She was ... huge. If that wasn't the most difficult event, what is yet to come?" He didn't mention the parseltongue.

"You have no idea how much talk there has been among the staff over how you got that egg," said Minerva. "No one has seen anything like it. The dragon handlers are very interested in you."

"I haven't talked to anyone about that," said Harry. "The less people know, the better. I don't really plan to let the public know of my animagus ability."

"That is a good idea," said Minerva. "I am surprised the Headmaster hasn't approached you. He must not want to give the appearance he is helping you any."

"He doesn't really talk to me much," said Harry. "Never has. He hasn't said much, since I was bound that winter. He seems anxious around me."

"He asks about notable students in staff meetings," said Minerva. "Your name does come up, since your performance is consistently near the top of your year. He doesn't give many opinions about you, or anyone else, for that matter. I suppose that is how it should be."

Minerva paused a moment. Halloween was in the middle of the week. "Harry," she said, "I feel I must warn you of an announcement the Headmaster is going to make tomorrow at the Feast. There will be a ball held at the end of this term, in honor of the tournament. All of the champions are expected to sit at the table of honor, and lead the first dance. This means that you will be expected to have a partner at the ball. I know you have never been taught to dance, as most children in the wizarding world are. These festivities are common in our world, especially among the older families. I will be happy to give you as much assistance as I can with the dance, since that is not one of the events. Please give some thought on who you might invite, as your participation is mandatory. Hogwarts will schedule dancing lessons for all students several times over the next few weeks. I didn't want you to be unprepared for the Headmaster's announcement. Please keep this information to yourself, since the Headmaster is fond of his surprises."

"Thank you, Minerva," said Harry, reeling a little with what she had told him. "I really have only one person I feel comfortable with to ask. She has been my best friend for years."

"I thought that might be the case," said Minerva. "She might be asked by any number of students, and since she is a lower classman, she will need to be invited, to attend. Girls are rather fond of these events, and she may feel inclined to take one of the first offers to attend, while her head is spinning. The wise boy will make his request for a partner early."

Dumbledore stood before the Halloween Feast started, and made his announcement, "Now that the first task has been completed, I am pleased to announce we will have a Yule Ball at the end of term, for all students, year four and above. Younger students may be invited by upperclassmen. There will be festivities in each common room for the lower classmen who are not invited. The Hogwarts Express will run the second day after the Ball. There will be a Hogsmeade weekend the first weekend in December, for any student that needs to prepare for the Ball. Let the Feast begin."

Platters of food appeared on the tables, but many of the students didn't immediately start filling their plates. They were still ... digesting ... the information they had just heard. The girls were the first ones to start chattering. This was the first time the Tournament actually became something for the student body.

Ginny was talking rapidly to Hermione. Harry caught Ginny's attention, and silently asked her. "Ginny," he asked. "Will you be my partner for the Ball?"

Ginny's face went blank for a second, then it brightened in a smile. Silently, she replied, "I'd be happy to, Harry. Excuse me, for a few moments," and she returned to her conversation with Hermione. Hermione instantly caught on to what had happened.

"He asked you, didn't he?" she said bubbling. "I wonder how many boys will wait forever, before asking. This is so exciting. Hogwarts should do this every year." They didn't touch their food for several minutes.

Later, in the common room, Ron caught Hermione's attention. "Hermione, you're a girl," he began.

"Well spotted," said Hermione, with some curiosity. "How is my gender now important?"

Ron's face became quite red. "Wouldyougototheballwithme?" he asked.

"Did you just ask me to the ball?" she asked.

Ron's insides took the form of the Greenland glaciers. "Yeah," he choked.

Hermione smiled. "I would be delighted to go the ball with you," she said.

Ron visibly relaxed. "Thank you," he said. "This is the hardest thing I have done in my life, since the troll."

"I remind you of the troll?" asked Hermione teased.

"No!" exclaimed Ron. "It's ... I ... "

"I know, Ron," said Hermione. "We have been friends for a long time. The ball sounds like fun. There's your sister. I will see you later. Thanks for inviting me to the ball." She made a beeline for Ginny, and went with her to the corner.

Ron just stumbled over the chairs, and sat down by Neville. Neville had a huge grin on his face.

"Well done mate," said Neville. "I asked Luna after the feast. Our group is going to the ball."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron.

"Harry asked Ginny," said Neville.

"When?" asked Ron.

"About two seconds after the announcement," said Neville. "That got me to thinking about Luna. It will be fun, I think. Yeah?"

"Oh no!" said Ron. "My dress robes are horrid."

"Hermione is probably the best in our year, when it comes to transfiguration," said Neville. "You need to work with your partner on these things anyway. Gran has had me doing these dances for ages."

"Weasleys don't do dances," said Ron. "Bloody hell, are they trying to kill us? We aren't in the Tournament."

"Longbottoms know everyone," said Neville. "Gran goes every year. She has two scheduled this holiday, and one in the summer already."

"Sucks to be you," said Ron.

"It's not that bad," said Neville. "It will be fun, really. Just like swimming."

"Right," said Ron. "Thought my heart was going to stop."

Classes passed uneventfully. Harry showed the egg to the other five. He opened it, and it made a loud screeching sound that varied in pitch and cadence.

"Harry," said Neville. "That is Mermish. Luna and I met a couple when we were looking for roots. What kind of clue is that?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "At least you have given me something to go on."

"I will write a letter to my grandmother," said Luna. "She is likely to have an idea."

Harry woke up early, that night, as usual. He was leaving the dormitory to go to the Chamber for practice. As he passed through the common room, he saw a house elf cleaning by the fireplace. That wasn't unusual, since he had seen several house elves since he had been at Hogwarts. Harry, however, had a history with this house elf.

"Dobby!" hissed Harry. "Why are you here?" Harry was on full alert.

"Harry Potter, Sir," said Dobby. "Dobby so sorry Dobby bother you before. Dobby be working in kitchen at Hogwarts since release from service. Cleaning tonight. Regular elf not here for while. Headmaster has agreement with Elders. Free elves stay alive here at Hogwarts, but we not bound to school. We work. Lots of work at Hogwarts. Dobby not bother you."

Harry could tell the elf was telling the truth. He didn't know much about elves, and their use of magic was very effective, without wands. He had spoke with Kob, from time to time, but the subject of elfin magic wasn't discussed. Kob always brushed the subject aside. He wondered if he might learn more from this odd free elf.

"Can a free elf make an oath never to attack me again?" asked Harry. "I don't know that I can trust you, otherwise. You attacked me, twice."

"Yes, Dobby can," said Dobby. "On Dobby's life and magic, Dobby will not harm Harry Potter." A yellow glow surrounded the elf for a few moments. "It is done. Dobby not able to harm Harry Potter Sir."

"Thank you, Dobby," said Harry. "You were able to bind me so strongly, that two of my most knowledgeable professors were unable to remove it. Wands are supposed to make magic more effective. How is it that you were able to bind me so strongly?"

"Dobby not allowed answer that question," said Dobby. "For that answer, Harry Potter Sir must ask Elder. Dobby ask Elder. Is small thing Dobby do for Harry Potter Sir." With a snap of his fingers, Dobby disappeared.

It became too cold to really enjoy swimming. First Ron quit swimming, then Hermione did. Not long after that, Ginny didn't want to go either. They COULD, but it wasn't fun anymore. Luna and Neville harvested some roots, but they didn't spend any more time in the water than they had to. Ginny took a few rides out in the Forest, but cool weather was driving people indoors.

It is just as well. Many of the students were taking the offered dancing lessons, and the six were no exception. After a bit of awkwardness, the first lesson was actually fun. The Ball brought the students together far better than the Tournament itself ever could. Many students were paired across the houses. Naturally, more of the seventh year foreign students went with each other. A few paired from Hogwarts for the dance, and many loose relationships were formed. The foreign students didn't have much occasion to deal with Harry, as he was a fourth year student.

Two weeks after he had spoke with Dobby, he came to Harry while he was practicing in the Chamber. "Harry Potter, Sir," said Dobby. "Elders gave Dobby permission to discuss Elfin magic. All magic used by all creatures be same. Difference be in how used. Dobby use layers, protection between layers, to bind Harry Potter in cat form. Binding very strong."

"Can you teach me how to do this?" asked Harry. "I am very interested."

"You may learn," said Dobby, "but take many years practice. Elf life much longer than human. Some things, elves not speak of."

"Thank you for letting me know," said Harry. "Can you talk to me about the history of Elves? Why do elves die, if they are not bound to wizard families?"

"Elders expect this question," said Dobby. "Years ago, war broke out among magical creatures. Elves on losing side given magical disease for punishment, instead of death. Only known cure be live with wizard family. Share magic with wizard family with voluntary house elf bond. Innocent descendants born with disease. Disease slowly becoming weaker. Some elves now disease free. Dobby almost disease free, but rebel against family. Disease bad again. Dobby can survive, maybe, at Hogwarts. Much magic at Hogwarts. Others, like Dobby, at Hogwarts."

"All the Hogwarts elves are just surviving?" asked Harry.

"No," said Dobby. "This hard question. Some, like Dobby. Others, not."

"So, you need to bond with a wizard to get better?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Dobby.

"Then, why don't you?" said Harry.

"Magical binding say Dobby must inform wizard Dobby bad elf," said Dobby. "Dobby must swear loyal service to make binding. Malfoy make sure no wizard trust Dobby. Dobby rebel. Dobby sent to die. Maybe live, at Hogwarts. Maybe not."

"Why did you rebel?" asked Harry. "Could you have just stayed until you were cured?"

"Dobby born into House Malfoy 317 years ago," said Dobby. "Malfoys not always evil. Lucius Malfoy evil. Harry Potter stop Evil One Malfoy loyal to. Dobby rebel. Harry Potter Sir must survive. Dobby make stupid mistake. Not think right. Rebellion ... difficult. Dobby hurt Harry Potter Sir. Elders say Dobby ... very sick."

"Would you be loyal to me, if you bind yourself to me?" asked Harry. "Can you teach me magic?"

"Yes, Harry Potter Sir, Dobby teach," said Dobby. "Harry Potter not evil."

"Can you think of any reason I should not let you bond with me?" asked Harry. Harry paid close attention to what he could sense in the elf.

"Elf normal bond with Head of House," said Dobby. "Elf live long time. Stay with household. Dobby know Harry Potter be Head of House. Harry Potter strong enough for binding. Dobby rebel for Harry Potter ... but harm Harry Potter. Dobby ... most sorry. Elders watch Dobby ... closely. Elders know Harry Potter fight evil. Let Dobby speak with Harry Potter Sir. Dobby make more mistake ... Dobby die."

"You have never lied to me," said Harry. "I know that. I haven't always agreed with what you think is in my best interests. We can help each other. You have already given me an oath you won't harm me. You need to be bound, at least until you are free of the disease. I need to learn about magic. That is why I came to Hogwarts. Now, this damned Tournament is trying to kill me. You can teach me magic differently from what I learn at Hogwarts. I am training to be a healer, and to defend myself. What do I need to do?"

"You just accept Dobby's binding," said Dobby. "Dobby already says Dobby be loyal to Harry Potter. Harry Potter knows what Dobby did. There be nothing else. Dobby do rest."

"You won't do stupid stuff, will you," asked Harry. "I don't need a servant. I need teachers. I have several people helping me learn. Can you help me learn?"

"Dobby do what Dobby can to help Harry Potter Sir," said Dobby. "Elves know healing."

"Only what I ask, right?" asked Harry. "No trying to guess what I want?"

"Dobby understand," said Dobby. "Dobby like work. Work make Dobby healthy. Binding work that way."

Harry thought for a while. He had watched elves work at the Figg compound since he arrived, as a kitten. He had watched them work at Hogwarts as well. Xavier had told him Dobby's odd attack was so unusual, the elves at the Figg residence had paid no attention to Dobby. Elves didn't use wands, and Dobby said he could help him train, though it took a long time.

"Then, I accept your binding," said Harry. The magic of the binding was warm, as he felt it work through his body.

"It is done, Harry Potter Sir," said Dobby.

"Then, remember this," said Harry. "I am just Harry. I am not Harry Potter Sir. It is time for me to go. How do I contact you?"

"Dobby hears you," said Dobby. "Just say Dobby's name, and snap fingers. How may Dobby help?"

"You said service makes you better?" asked Harry. "Just continue what you have been doing at Hogwarts, as if you were not bound to me. You get healthy, and I will call you later. All I want now, is magical training."

Dobby disappeared, and Harry went to take a shower. 'That was a bit fast,' he thought as he walked away. 'I hope that don't bite me in the arse, but it felt right.'

Harry wrote Xavier, and told him he had let Dobby bind with him, and why. Xavier replied, saying that most elves were just disregarded in the wizarding world, and that Harry should have no problems with what he had done. Xavier had talked with his head elf, and the elf had made some inquiries. The elf gave Xavier assurances that Harry would be OK, and keep trusting his instincts.

Luna's grandmother wrote her in mid December. There were several ways of translating Mermish, and her grandmother thought the enchanted item would have some way of making itself understood. She would talk to Luna about it when she came home for the holidays. None of the six had any idea how that would be done. The library had not been much help, so far.

Harry was working with Dobby in the Chamber, learning how to avoid an elf binding, when he mentioned the egg to him. The binding still bothered Harry.

"Dobby," asked Harry, "Do you know anything about Mermish? The egg from the first event has a Mermish clue, and none of us have been able to figure out what to make of it."

"Can Dobby see this egg?" asked the elf. His language skills were starting to improve. Maybe Dobby was thinking more clearly.

"The egg is in my trunk," said Harry. "I will bring it tomorrow night, so you can look at it."

"Dobby can get it now, if Harry wants," said the elf. "Very easy to do."

"Yes, please," said Harry. A few moments later, Dobby returned with the egg. Dobby looked at it for several minutes. He opened and closed it a few times, and said, "Egg has an enchantment. Dobby thinks it need to be under water. Looks like it need water to work."

"Thanks Dobby," said Harry. "That makes sense, Mermish and all. I will try that. How do you know that?"

"Dobby can see magic, if Dobby looks for it," said the elf. "Elf's eye different from human. Water magic has different ... color and appearance, on enchanted things. Wizards need to cast spell to see."

"Can you show me the spell?" asked Harry. "Is it easy to learn?"

"Dobby not know spell," said Dobby. "Most of Dobby's life at House Malfoy. Malfoys not use such spells there. Dobby just see magic. Many enchanted items at Malfoy's. Dobby will find out how to do this."

"Thanks, Dobby," said Harry. "My friends and I can look in the library. It has to be a charm that is leaned at school. How else would they expect a seventh year to know it."

Harry carried the egg in a pouch to the Gryffindor loo. No one was likely to be in the there at 3:00 a.m., and he heard the clue. The egg and his ears needed to be underwater. He wrote the clue down, when he returned to his room. He would discuss it with the group, but it appeared Harry would need to look where the Mermen lived, for something he would sorely miss. In February. Oh joy. Brrrrr.

At breakfast, Harry told the others about the clue.

"How did you find out, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"I wasn't sleeping," said Harry, "and I had the thing in the loo. This is a copy of what it said." He didn't want to mention Dobby, and only told them the minimum. Ginny and Xavier were the only ones who knew about Dobby. Hermione jumped on the clue immediately.

"You have an hour to find something, where the Merpeople live," said Luna.

"You can take what ever you need, based on the clue?" asked Ginny.

"No," replied Harry. "I can make any preparations I need to. Wands only."

"Just use the water gear," said Ginny. "You are pretty good with the bubble head."

"That's what I thought," said Harry. "I'm going to study the charms on the gear. What in the world would I sorely miss? I can't think of anything that fits that description."

"You will just have to wait and see," said Hermione. "At least you know what you need."

"Glad it isn't me," said Ron. "In February ... Bloody hell!"

Professor McGonagall looked up from the head table, but she didn't see any problem.

"Ron," hissed Hermione. "You're attracting attention."

"Sorry," said Ron. "I like the water gear ... but February?"

"I will practice some over the holiday, if I can get the charms to work," said Harry. "The river runs past Xavier's. He has a lake attached to the river. It's common around Ottery St. Catchpole. You guys want to come?"

"I know Mum won't let me," said Ginny.

"Gran has me busy," said Neville. "Big season, for her."

"I am leaving with Daddy," said Luna.

"I like swimming," said Hermione, "but not that much."

"Brrrrr," said Ron. "Mum would have a cow anyway."

"Everyone ready for the Ball next week?" asked Ginny. That got the girls busy talking. Harry just smiled. He could tell how excited they were.

The following week brought exams and term papers. They kept him busy, but Harry didn't think they were all that difficult. He didn't even need to use his real wand for charms or transfiguration. Magic just took lots of practice, and he really enjoyed it.

On the day of the Ball, the excitement was so thick, one could cut it with a knife. Not so much with the boys. No, but the girls were broadcasting. They disappeared upstairs around 1:00. Harry told Minerva he was going for a run in the Forest, and made his change in one of the outer barns. He got back with time to spare. Ron and Neville were changing. Hermione and Ginny had made easy changes to Ron's dress robes, and Ron was comfortable with them. No one better use a finite on him. It was old hat, for Neville, but Harry could tell he was a bit excited.

"You do this regularly, right?" Harry asked Neville.

"Not with Luna, I don't," replied Neville. "This is going to be fun."

Ron wasn't so sure. He wanted to go, but he was self-conscious. Nervous. Would he mess up? Sure, it was just Hermione, but ... all of those people. At a dance. It was supper time, and he wasn't even hungry.

"Time to go guys," said Harry.

"Bye," said Neville. "I told Luna I would meet her on the outside of the Ravenclaw common room.

Harry and Ron waited in the Gryffindor common room about 15 more minutes.

"How long does it take?" asked Ron. "They've been up there all afternoon. I wish th ..." Hermione was coming down the stairs, with Ginny not too far behind. Ron couldn't talk any more. So, this was what the girls were doing all afternoon. Give witches some time, and an occasion, and they could put their heart into it. Hermione and Ginny could have been on the cover of Teen Witch Weekly, but Ron couldn't see Ginny. He could only see Hermione.

Hermione stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Hello Ronald," said Hermione. "Been waiting long?", she asked, holding out her arm. She could tell what he was feeling, and it made her feel ... special. Different. She not only got to dress up, which she really didn't care to do all that often, but she had knocked poor Ron's socks off. It made her feel like a GIRL, and this was ... not something she was used to.

"Hermione?" said Ron. "You're ... beautiful." He took her arm, and they started walking for the door.

Ginny, on the other hand, was just excited and happy, and Harry reflected her happiness. He was happy for her, and with her. "You clean up nice," she told Harry.

"Looking good yourself," said Harry. "Let's go enjoy ourselves." They followed the couple out of the common room, hand in hand.

They met Neville and Luna in the hallway in front of the doors to the Great Hall, and they walked in. Harry and Ginny went to sit at the champions' table, and the others went to their pre-assigned table. The normal bench tables had been replaced with restaurant style tables, four or six chairs to a table. The head table had become a large round table that seated the headmasters and several dignitaries.

The champions' table had six chairs, rather than the eight Harry expected.

Victor Krum had asked Fleur Delacour. Victor had thought, 'Foreign school, must ask someone, why not ask another champion?' Fleur had similar thoughts ... just attend with Victor. What better way to talk with one of the other champions? It was just a dance, after all. Big dance at that, but just a dance. Victor Krum was an unpretentious young man, even with his fame as a renowned seeker for Bulgaria. Fleur Delacour, likewise, was an easy going girl, who couldn't help her good looks and veela heritage, that brought the fawning behavior she couldn't avoid. She enjoyed the fact that Victor could withstand the veela charm leaking past her barriers.

Cedric Diggory, a seeker, had asked Cho Chang, yet another seeker. Cedric Diggory, the son of a mid-level Ministry bureaucrat, never had a stuck up bone in his body. Cho Chang was the daughter of a diplomat. A bit fragile emotionally and well aware of her beauty, she was still pleasant company at the table.

Harry could read them like a book, and Ginny was beginning to get good at it herself.

Light conversation came easily to those at the champions' table. The champions were having a good time talking over supper. The first event was just them against their dragon. They had ALL faced dragons! That was common ground. In the back of their mind, they knew the second event was looking like the same thing ... find something they will sorely miss in the cold lake. They were not adversaries, they were just going up against similar hazards, giving it their best shot. The champions were peers, chosen by the ancient artifact as magical equals. Harry hadn't had much of an occasion to meet the others, as they were seventh year students. Their lives were surely as busy as his.

Thirteen year old Ginny Weasley was sitting at the table with the best, most powerful students of the three largest European schools of magic, and she felt comfortable. She had no doubts they accepted her. The age difference between thirteen and seventeen can be a veritable canyon. She wasn't their peer in magical ability, but they weren't snubbing her either. She was having a ... Ball. Harry was relaxed and enjoying the festive atmosphere. Soon, the meal was over. The plates vanished, and Dumbledore stood up. He announced the band, and asked the champions to please step out for the first dance.

Minerva watched the champions out on the floor. Victor Krum must have had a few injuries in his life, as it appeared he favored his left leg as he walked. That didn't seem to slow him down much, as he lead Fleur on the opening waltz. Cedric and Cho were gliding gracefully across the floor. Her young Gryffindors were amazing though, as they floated through the waltz. She wondered if it had anything to do with the fact they were feline animagi. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.

Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna were rather comfortable. The meal had helped calm down poor Ron's shattered nerves. He was very glad he had taken the dancing lessons. They had no trouble with easy flowing conversation. It helped that EVERYONE was dressed to the nine's, and he was too. They joined the champions, and a veritable host of others, for the second dance. These four were feline animagi as well, and dancing was no problem ... even though the floor was a lot more crowded. They weren't waltzing anymore, either.

What was that stirring in Ron's chest, as he danced with Hermione? Girls weren't important, were they? Did it matter Hermione was a girl? Maybe. Out of the six, Ron was the first one to envision the possibility of romance. The Weasleys were known to be a passionate lot, whether standing their ground in a fight, or being with friends and family. They didn't do things by halves. Hermione could sense it stirring in him. What did she think of that? She wasn't sure, as she enjoyed the Ball.

Neville was already starting a strong friendship with Luna. He enjoyed being with the brilliant girl, who could be brutally pragmatic at times. He didn't care, one way or the other, about nargles and snorkacks. He knew what Luna meant to say. Luna needed the well grounded, hands in the dirt boy, to balance out her tendency to drift in the clouds.

The Ball lasted four quick hours. Many songs were danced with different partners, and ... pretty much, a good time was had by all. The Ball was a tremendous hit with the students, especially since the term was over. What a great way to unwind from the term.

The students had one day to relax, pack, and get ready to leave. Harry had to bust his arse learning how the boots work. Transfiguring the wet suit couldn't be that difficult. The wet suit was a priority. He didn't plan on going in swimming trunks, that is for sure. He would improve his warming charms over the holiday, as well as practice the bubble head. If he had to, he could go in the lake without the boots. He was a pretty strong swimmer.


	17. Chapter 17 The Tournament Continues

Chapter 17 The Tournament Continues

Harry arrived home for the holidays, and immediately went out back to visit with his family. He laid in the barn, and thought about his life. There is just nothing like getting home after being gone for a few months. This was the only part of his Hogwarts experience he didn't like. He had wondered, during his first year, why the students had to live at Hogwarts. Education at the family compound seemed to work just fine, for Ginny and the others who had to floo in.

Hogwarts magical education was too intensive for going home at the end of classes. First, there was the library with its heavily shared resources. Second, the study groups spent a lot of time with each other with research and essays. The students had to have a firm understanding of their relationship to the use of magic, and that meant living at Hogwarts. Third, there was the safety issue. Students practiced magic, and experts were there to set the students right, if they hurt themselves. Harry had worked with Madam Pomfrey on a couple of the more unusual potions accidents the students had tried on their own time. The twins weren't the only ones experimenting.

The only education more demanding than Hogwarts, was an apprenticeship, where the student was totally immersed in the craft, sometimes twelve to fourteen hours a day. Harry didn't think his pending apprenticeship with McGonagall would be as intensive as some, like an apprenticeship with Ollivander might have been, but he was looking forward to it. He thought he would be able to get home more often. She knew he wanted to be an accredited healer, as well as a Transfiguration Master.

Harry thought about what it would have been like for a few of his brothers and sisters to come to Hogwarts with him. The grounds could have accommodated them easily, but it wouldn't have been the same, anyway. Harry was so busy. The pride was very tight knit. Harry was the one who didn't quite fit, and that was OK. He thought the Figg compound and the pride would always be home.

The Hogwarts unicorns gave him a flavor of what it felt like to be home. Ginny, Luna, and Hermione were becoming more ... kneazle-ish, so to speak. The girls weren't withdrawn and churlish, as most people were, compared to kneazles and unicorns. Most humans lived in a tight little shell. Life, for Harry, was good, even though someone entered his name in the Tournament. The Tournament hadn't disrupted his life as much as he thought it might have.

Xavier met Harry after breakfast in the training room.

"Can I see that egg that has the clue for the second event?" asked Xavier. "The rules don't say anything about taking the clue home, and having one's guardian look at it, do they?"

"Not that I know of," said Harry. "I will find out quickly, if there is. Besides, that part is solved. Professor McGonagall has been worried telling me something about the Tournament that would set off the sanction. I basically know what I am up against, for the next one. I have to look for a personal treasure in the lake in the middle of winter."

"That is remarkably dangerous," said Xavier, " considering you can only take your wand with you. Your warming charms have to be spot on, because ice water can incapacitate you quickly. The other likely alternative is animal transfiguration, and that has its own problems. Depending on the fish or animal chosen, how is a person going to retrieve their treasure? There is nothing quite like human hands."

"If it was summer, I could probably apply the bubble head charm, and fly underwater as the flying cat," said Harry, "but I am not doing that in the middle of winter. I am a pretty good swimmer, anyway."

"Let me show you what muggles use to swim better," said Xavier. He brought out some shoes that looked like duck's feet. "Sam might be able to help with the boot charms," he continued. They have to be able to work in water at a moment's notice."

"I will be going to the lake to practice," said Harry. "The second task is treasure hunting underwater in an ice water lake."

"I can make a pool for you in the barn, as deep as you want, and as cold as you want," said Xavier. "If you want to practice at the lake, that's OK too."

"Maybe I will do both," said Harry. "Thanks."

"Easy done, Harry, easy done," said Xavier.

Sam came over the next day. Harry was transfiguring jeans and a jumper into the wet suit, and doing fairly well. He was already proficient with warming charms, and could do them wandlessly.

"Hi Harry," said Sam. "I hear you are going swimming in February."

"Yeah," said Harry. "Stupid tournament I am in. I have to find treasure in the lake, presumably near Mermen."

"I see you have your clothing ready," said Sam. "Pretty good at warming charms, yeah?"

"Got to be," said Harry, "in Scotland. "Cold, in the winter, on a good day. Fur works better, but snow is still cold on the paws."

"I picked up the under water boots for Harry, and his friends," said Xavier. "What do you guys use to move around under water, when you have no notice? I have already showed him what muggles use on their feet."

"It's possible to use a propulsion charm on your wand, similar to lumos," said Sam, "but it's dangerous. If your wand slips out of your hand, you may not find it again. There is a charm you can use on a rock or stick that does something similar. It isn't variable speed, like the boots. The boots are a bit complicated. I suggest the propellere charm. Let me show you."

It wasn't long before Harry was able to make a force come from the end of a wooden rod. Harry had everything he needed for the second task. More than what he needed, really. Now it was just a matter of practice. He spent the next day's training time in Xavier's pool.

Harry went over to Ginny's most every night. The Ball was still a large topic for Ginny and her mother. Ginny had a great time at the Ball. It was her first official dance, and she had been at the champion's table with Harry. Sometimes he would just lay by the fire, and listen to Ginny and Molly.

Her mother teased her pretty heavily about going out with her childhood hero. The twins apparently had a genetic disposition for their teasing.

"Ginny dear," said Molly with a grin, "what kind of plans you making for Harry?"

"Oh Mum," said Ginny. "Harry's a friend. He's in Hermione's and Ron's study group, and it was a natural choice to go the Ball with him. It was fun. We're not even kissing."

For all Molly's teasing, she was quite happy Ginny wasn't arse over tea kettle in a crush over Harry Potter. Emotional relationships were difficult, at best, unless Ginny was able to find someone as understanding as her Arthur. Harry Potter was treated like royalty, in the wizarding world's gossip circles, and it would likely get worse as he got older It was fun, talking with her daughter about the Ball.

The topic of the tournament wasn't so friendly. Molly had read all of the Prophet's accounts of how Harry must have schemed to get in the tournament. The Boy Who Lived sold papers and magazines, and probably always would. Molly still didn't get how the Potter boy ended up at her Aunt's place. He didn't spend much time there, but it was odd. Ginny didn't have any trouble telling her mum the straight line on the Prophet's rumors. Molly took it all in, but she knew how her brothers had been, and how her sons were. The twins had tried to make the tournament, and she was certain Harry must have tried. There was no harm in Harry being in the tournament. She was positive Albus Dumbledore would not let any student get seriously hurt.

Harry accepted that people were entitled to believe what they would about how he got in the Tournament. It didn't really matter. He was in it. He still was looking forward to finding out how his name came out of the Goblet of Fire.

Christmas came, and left. Harry gave the usual gift cards. Christmas still meant nothing to him. Nothing at all. He was ready for the second event by the time the holidays were over. He had swam in Xavier's pool, in the lake, and in the river. He was good with the muggle swimming shoes, and with the propulsion charm. He could make good time in the water. Wandless lumos worked as well in the water as it did in Kaasaar's access tunnel. Swimming under water by himself was a bit boring, before long. There was nothing of any interest in Xavier's lake, nor in the river. It was just something he had to practice.

Harry told Ginny about the temperature controlled indoor pool at Xavier's barn. She couldn't think of a good enough reason to get over to try it out. She couldn't even think of a good way to explain how she found out about the pool Harry was using, to practice for the Tournament. It was one thing for her Mum to tease about the Ball, and quite another to go visit Harry. "Mum, I talk to Harry, almost daily" wasn't an area Ginny wanted to go, not to mention, "Mum, Harry is Green Eyes."

Ginny loved her mother, and Molly loved Ginny, but the generation gap was deep, and wide, with them. Ginny just wasn't the girl Molly pictured in her mind. The clock could tell if she was gone, so sneaking wasn't an option. There would be no pool time for Ginny, and Ginny would really liked to have gone.

What Harry enjoyed was air time. He was flying a rather large area around Ottery St. Catchpole, and the surrounding towns. Roads with vehicle traffic were great land marks. He could see lights for miles, from the air. When Harry put his mind to it, he could make some distance in a short time. It was chilly if he flew too fast in the winter. Normally, he just flew effortlessly, eating up the distance leisurely. Too bad his family couldn't join him, they would have loved it. They roamed for miles, as it was. Harry needed a way of carrying them. He would work on that with Minerva this term. Maybe Ginny could get some air time on his back, if he had some sort of saddle. He used his wings to hold her in place, running on the ground. Falling from his back was not an option. Both items would need to be wandless transfiguration. That would be good practice, Harry thought to himself, for an aspiring transfiguration master.

The trip back to school was the now normal Risk marathon. Ron and Hermione were sitting next to each other. That happened from time to time, but it was consistent now. Ginny watched them, with out appearing to. A small smile appeared on her face. She had followed these emotions in other people, but it was the first time she received them from her brother and friend. She understood what Harry meant by kneazles being open. She was still getting used to it. Hermione looked up, and smiled. No secrets among these friends.

Ginny thought if the relationship between Ron and Hermione grew, Hermione would teach the silent language skills to Ron. That would be the test of their relationship. Not a good idea to hurry. Ron needed time to get his head around it.

School resumed as if there hadn't been a holiday. January was just a cold month to get through, with a minimum of discomfort. They got through it.

Harry's work with Pomfrey and McGonagall coincided with his desire to conjure and transfigure saddles and saddle bags. It was important for healers to remove clothing from injured patients, and replace clothing with clean hospital gowns and pajamas. Harry used his real wand, while in the hospital wing, to summon and clothe mannequins. He tried to do the something similar with Minerva wandlessly. He was able to work with her while he as in cat form, and he was working on a saddle, with saddle bags. It was exactly projects like this that kept Harry busy, and entertained. Harry had been very worried the Tournament was going to interfere with his normal schedule, but it really didn't. There was nothing special he had to do for the Tournament, other than dodge the occasional question. Dodging questions was ... effortless for Harry. He had the "dumb look" down pat.

Madam Pomfrey spoke with her second term fourth year at length one afternoon. "Mr. Potter," she began, "you are my most promising student in years. I know you have expressed interest in being a healer when you graduate. You have a gift for diagnostics that exceeds that of most of my seventh year students. You seem to know more about your patient than your patient does."

"Thank you, Ma'am," said Harry. "I enjoy healing more now, than when I started last year. I began my studies, mostly to give myself and animals first aid when necessary. It was a useful addition to CoMC. Also, my guardian told me how useful first aid training can be, after I leave Hogwarts. My interest in the profession increases as time goes on, more than I ever thought possible. I get a lot of ... satisfaction, when I relieve a patient's pain, human or otherwise."

"I know what you mean," said the healer. "You won't always be successful, when treating patients. Some patients can not be fully treated. The worst action possible, as a healer, is to mistake a diagnosis, and mistreat a patient. I think your diagnostic ability will keep you from many of those problems. That being said, never become complacent, as a healer. There is no worse feeling, than making a false diagnosis that causes your patient unnecessary suffering."

"I'll do my best, Ma'am," said Harry.

"I know you will," said Pomfrey. "I have watched you work with your assigned patients, here and at St. Mungo's. You are especially good with children. You seem to be a different person, out on the hospital floor. Frankly, I was surprised last year when you asked to start the healing arts. You have a reputation as studious recluse."

"Most people define me as some kind of object," said Harry. "To some, I am some legendary hero. To others, I am a celebrity. I avoid those people. In the hospital, I am an intern, who can help. People in treatment are worried about their injuries and pain, and while I may still be an object on the hospital floor, I am an anonymous object. I bring help and relief. Children are the easiest to work with."

"Would you like to be tested for empathic ability?" asked Pomfrey. "I inform all of my third year students I have some ability as an empath, so they know the ability exists. Some empathic talent can be learned."

"Do you think I should be tested?" asked Harry.

"You may be a natural empath," said the Matron. "Empathy is most helpful, as a healer. Not only does it aid diagnostics, but one's beside manner is more effective, as an empath. Some patients you practically need to cuff up side their head, to get their attention for their recovery. Others, you need to hold their hand."

She paused for a few moments, and continued. "You may be able to expand your capabilities, if you have empathic talent. There are several areas of specialization, in the medical field. I am more of a general healer, and I really enjoy working with students. You have many options available to you, Mr. Potter. I just want you to be aware of them."

"How would I go about being tested?" asked Harry.

"I can get an appointment later in the year, at St. Mungo's," said the healer. "Most successful healer candidates are screened at St. Mungo's. I think you might benefit from early testing. If you have talent, I can get training for you next year."

"I would like that, Ma'am," said Harry. It might be time for Harry to discuss his life as a kneazle with the Matron. He would discuss this with Minerva and Xavier.

Hospital training this year also included evacuating full bladders and bowels for unconscious and bed ridden patients. Harry was learning this at St. Mungo's. The contents had to be inspected and evaluated, as well. A thorough understanding of anatomy was essential. St. Mungo's had some amazing life like training mannequins. Grody was just one of the areas that caused many students to discontinue the Healing Arts after they completed their OWL for it.

Harry and the trainees practiced several hours in the barns ... they had several mock patients to practice bladder and bowel evacuation with, out in the barns. They worked with bones, joint, infections, and various maladies. The animals actually got comfortable with the students. Animals destined for the kitchens were given more rigorous trials, and they were ... for the most part ... painless. Harry noticed that some of his fellow trainees were eating more fish, than red meat. Harry didn't much care. Food was food, and food had emotions. He had always known that. Harry enjoyed some vegetables, of course, but he was a heavy meat eater.

Harry had been taught early in life, which animals were sentient, and which ones were not. Most animals in the forest were not sentient. The unicorns were one of the few that were herbivores. In the Forbidden Forest, predators generally avoided each other. The only universal predator in the Forest was the acromantula. Hagrid had a soft spot for them, but Harry couldn't figure out why. If it was up to him, all acromantula would be eradicated, around the school. No one in their right mind wanted something like acromantula in their territory. The school was fortunate Kaasaar liked to eat them, and he preyed on them with impunity.

February brought the second task. Harry went out the first Saturday to practice for the event. The weather was cold, but the sun was bright. There wasn't much wind. He took the other five of their group with him, just in case something weird happened. The dry run worked just fine, so ... in the water he went. The thin gloves he bought during the break worked well. He stayed five minutes, and came out. He was still ready. The only question remaining was the item, or items, he was to find.

They all ate breakfast the morning of the second task. He told Minerva he was going out, and went for a run with the unicorns. The mini-marathon was very relaxing. It wasn't quite warm enough for Ginny yet. He made it back in plenty of time. He went down to the lake, where a tent was set up for the champions to get final instructions. Spectator stands had been set up for the observers, and there were several. Harry was the last champion to arrive. Mr. Bagman started the instructions.

"We have a hostage situation here," he began. "Each of you have a hostage to recover. Two of you were easy to pick hostages for ... your dates for the Ball. Mr. Diggory will rescue Miss Cho Chang. Mr. Potter will rescue Miss Ginevra Weasley. We have family volunteers, from the spectators, for Mr. Krum and Miss Delacour ... their siblings have graciously made themselves available. You will have one hour, before the charms holding them in place ... expire. Do not attack the guards, for any reason. They will not interfere with retrieval. You will each be given a bracelet or tag so we can follow your progress, depending on how you hope to succeed at this task. Please make your preparations."

Harry wondered why he didn't figure this one out, as he and Cedric put on their bracelets. There was not much in his life he would sorely miss, but Ginny was definitely on that short list. Harry found some drift wood, and changed its shape for the propellere charm. He took off his robes, and transfigured his jeans and jumper into the wet suit. His shoes became the muggle flippers. He fired up the warming charms, and established the bubble head. He was ready, oh yes, he was ready. He would go get Ginny out of the freezing water. He wasn't afraid she was in danger, but he wouldn't waste any time getting her out of the frigid water.

It appeared that Cedric's plan wasn't that different from his. He charmed his jeans and jumper water proof, and applied warming charms. He appeared to have more than one layer of clothing. His bubble head charm was more of a bubble body charm, as it completely surrounded Cedric. The charm had a bit of shine to it.

Fleur and Victor didn't seem to be doing anything. As soon as a bell rang, Bagman announced, "Begin." Fleur waved her wand, and touched her torso. She became a rather large porpoise, and took off. Victor did almost the same thing, but became some sort of shark. He appeared to be in some sort of distress, until he rolled into the water. They were both tagged by their headmasters, after they transformed. Cedric floated, and Harry waded, into the lake, gave each other a grim grin, and submerged.

Fleur and Victor were just ... gone. Harry saw Cedric using his wand to move through the water. Harry charmed his wood, and sliced through the water. The wood was in his left hand, and his wand was in his right, held close to his chest. He stayed near the surface until he reached the middle of the lake. He finited the wood, and dove deep. He could faintly hear mer song, and swam for the sound. Sound carried good in the water, and his hearing was excellent. His legs were churning, making good time, with the flippers. He used his left hand for direction control, and his wand for light. He blew past a few grindylows, lurking near something that must have been green, at one time.

He came upon the Mer Village, and in the center of town, he saw the hostages. They were watched over by several mermen, with spears and tridents. Mermaids were singing in the near distance. Fleur and Victor were trying to loosen ropes with their mouth. The shark was trying to loosen the bonds of a dark haired boy, and the porpoise was doing the same with a nearly white haired young girl. Harry took his wand, and cut the ropes for them, as Cedric arrived.

Fleur and Victor grabbed a mouth full of clothing, and started swimming. They were a fraction of the speed they had been before. If they moved too fast, they ripped clothing. Harry and Cedric cut their treasures loose, and Harry grabbed Ginny around the waist. She was cold as the water she was resting in, and completely unresponsive. Holding Ginny close to his chest, Harry activated the wood with as much power as he could muster. He streaked through the water, breaking the surface like the mighty whale ... not quite clearing it. Harry got his bearings as he crashed back to the surface of the water. He pointed the wood in the direction he wanted to go. Harry was breaking the water with his back, as he kept the corner of his eye on his destination, and trimmed direction with his feet. Ginny was protected, nestled against his chest. The pair made a huge wake as they nearly skipped across the surface of the lake.

Harry let go of the wood as he left the water. Aurors used it for target practice as it bounced aimlessly along the ground. A finite finally hit it. Harry coasted to a stop, still on his back. Stepping out of his flippers, he picked Ginny up, and carried her to the tent. Madam Pomfrey pointed to the bed she was standing beside, and Harry laid her gently on the turned back sheets.

Harry released the bubble charm as the Matron gave both of them a scan, "Drying charms for her, Mr. Potter. You both appear to be doing quite well, considering. She is in an induced metabolic coma, with a draught of living death. I will administer the antidote shortly. I want her warm and dry first. The sheets are charmed for five degrees above normal, for now. She is perfectly OK, as are the others ... assuming they aren't injured in transport."

Harry wrapped himself in a blanket, and accioed a chair. His feet were a bit chilly. His shoes were still outside, and his socks were damp. He used a drying charm on those socks. The wet suit warming charms were still working, but the blanket felt good. 'Contest in the middle of winter, in the water. Who thinks up this stuff?' thought Harry.

Cedric arrived five minutes later, carrying his hostage. Pomfrey was waiting by a second bed, with a couple of her healing students, who helped prepare Cho for treatment.

Victor's and Fleur's hostages were carried in by aurors, since they were on timed transfigurations. They were removed from the water by their respective headmasters, and released from their transfiguration. They joined their hostages in the tent.

Harry reformed his clothing, and accioed his shoes and cloak. He picked up a warm drink, and joined the other champions. The champions and hostages were expected to stay in the medical tent, and they could hear what the announcer was saying. The voice reviewed the results of the first event, just prior to the results of the second event. Harry Potter was clearly in the lead.

Victor nodded, and said with a grin, "You are doing well, fellow seeker. You have maintained your lead in the Tournament. I solute you." Victor nodded, and held up his drink in solute.

"I was worried for you," said Fleur, "at the start of this contest. I am glad to see my worries were unfounded."

"Thank you both," said Harry. "You have also done well. I wasn't thrilled to be in this contest. My guardian agreed with your worries, Miss Delacour."

"Please, my name is still Fleur," said the young woman. "There should be no pretension among us. We have the same obstacles to overcome. We have one more to go, and my Headmistress informs me it is generally the more dangerous one. Historically, the lead going into the third event is unimportant. The last event is complex. May we all continue to do so well."

"I second that," said Cedric. "That water is ... COLD. It seeped through my best warming charms."

Madam Pomfrey was satisfied with the hostages' temperature half an hour later, and she gave them the potion to bring them out of their stasis. The Matron expertly placed the potion directly into their stomach. Ginny woke up thirty minutes later.

"Hi Harry," said Ginny. "I guess you rescued me, huh? They asked me if I wanted to volunteer. I thought it might be fun, but all I remember is drinking a potion, and here I am. It's chilly in here."

"They gave you 'Draught of the Living Death'," said Harry. "It's used at St. Mungo's to slow down a critical patient's metabolism while waiting for treatment. Many potions need to be fresh, for treatment of a variety of problems."

"Oh joy," said Ginny. "I don't feel bad, just a little tired. Is Mum having kittens?"

"None of the families have been allowed in here yet," said Harry. "Madam Pomfrey doesn't care for distractions, until she is done with primary treatment. You will see the Matron soon. Here she comes now."

"Miss Weasley," asked the healer, "how are you feeling?" The Matron was performing diagnostic scans, as she spoke. "Everything seems to be in order. You're ... hero ... gave you no injuries in transport. A couple of the hostages have some cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. You will be allowed two visitors, in about fifteen minutes. I will check you again in two hours, and presumably you will be released for supper then. I trust you will keep me informed of any changes, Mr. Potter. Please put on an intern's robe. I want you available, if there are any changes in these patients. I don't expect any problems."

Each of the hostages had at least one of Madam Pomfrey's interns standing by. Shortly, Harry saw Ginny's parents walking toward her bed.

"Ginny," said Molly with some exuberance, "how are you feeling? Poppy said we should not ... excite you." Molly reached out, and picked up Ginny's hand.

"I'm fine, Mum," said Ginny. "A little tired yet, but I am fine. This wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be."

"Professor Dumbledore assured us you would be safe," said Arthur. "I must say, young man, that was quite an exit from the lake."

Harry looked a little sheepish. "I just wanted to get her back, and warmed up," said Harry.

"You did wonderfully dear," said Molly. "I see you are an intern. Do you think you will continue with the healing arts? I took a NEWT in them, but did not continue. I have used the skills on my lot, from time to time."

"Yes Ma'am," said Harry. "I think I will. Sir, have you taken the glider up yet?"

"Oh yes," said Arthur excitedly. "John helped me fit it with the radio, and we worked out the details on the flight plans. Officially, we get it up in the air with the lorry. Come by in the summer, and I can take you up. It's ...."

"Arthur," said Molly, hoping to derail a boring conversation, "Poppy said not too much excitement yet."

"Yes, well," said Arthur with a grin, "make sure you stop by."

"Yes Sir," said Harry. "I will."

"It's Arthur, lad," he replied. "I have heard a lot about you taking our Ginny to the Ball. I trust you had fun?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "It was fun."

"Daaaddddy," said Ginny. She didn't want her mum to start up. She could sense her cranking up.

"Right," said Arthur, "peace, quiet, and all that."

March was busy for Harry. He found that he could conjure a durable cloth harness and bags for use in his flying form. The conjuration was stable, and would last about a week. He could also sew them from strong material, and shrink them, for immediate use. He had a major project going on with the shed basilisk skin in the chamber. He was making a sort of saddle and harness from it, but it wouldn't shrink. The cast off basilisk skin was still resistant to magic. Harry wondered how tough the actual basilisk hide would be, not that he wanted to find out. This saddle was going to be beautiful, when finished. He was working on a much simpler saddle from normal leather, and he was able to shrink it. He was looking forward to Ginny's first flight.

It was also in March the grizzled old auror showed students fourth year, and above, the unforgivable curses. "I have obtained permission to demonstrate the unforgivable curses, so that you may recognize them," he began. "I have a baby acromantula for each class. No one will miss them, and they have a sufficiently developed nervous system for my purpose." The spider was in a glass enclosure, and somewhat disturbed.

"The cruciatus curse is illegal, because of the nerve damage it does," Moody said. "No shield has been discovered that can block this curse. People have been known to lose their sanity, with this curse." Harry noticed that Neville was broadcasting a wide range of emotion, cycling from anger, sorrow, fear, and panic.

"The avada kedavra curse is illegal," Moody said, " because its only known purpose is death. No shield has been discovered that can block this curse, and only one person is known to have survived it. He is sitting in this class room." All eyes drifted to Harry.

"The imperius curse is illegal," he continued," because it is mind control, that isn't obvious by observation. It has caused a lot of trouble, from votes in the Wizengamut and theft of inheritance to murder of one's own family. I am not going to demonstrate that one, on a spider. I do not want to impress my will on a spider, as it requires a bit of mental feedback, to know how it is working. The imperius curse can be resisted, and thrown off, but it requires a strong force of will, and practice. I will demonstrate this on each of you, so you may know what it feels like, with your permission.

"This demonstration is not mandatory," said Moody, "given the nature of the curses. Anyone who wants to leave, may do so, with no questions asked, and no loss of grade. Now is the time to leave, if you wish." Several people got up, and left, including Neville.

Moody carried the glass cage over to the corner. "This glass is completely transparent to magic," he began. "First, the cruciatus." Moody cast the spell, with a slightly manic grin. Harry could feel the desire to cause pain rolling off of Moody. The spider writhed and rolled in the cage, making an awful screeching sound.

Moody rested for a few moments, and collected himself. "That curse is driven by emotion, as is the avada kedavra," he said. "Now, I give you the AK." Moody cast the emerald green spell with a huge desire to kill. The spider just rolled over, and lay still. Harry's body shuddered with the memory of the spell, and automatically started the shield to defend against it, almost like a panic attack. Harry's worst memories were associated with that spell. He would never forget it. Harry shook the feeling off.

"The AK leaves virtually no physical evidence it has been used," said Moody. "It can be detected by magical scan. Now I am going to place the imperius curse on all of you, one at a time. The offer to leave now, is still valid. I will be asking for you to do simple things that you probably normally would not do."

Moody rotated through the students, having some sing silly songs, some dance, or babble. He had Ron do cart wheels, a very unlikely activity for the long limbed boy. He asked Hermione for ballet moves, and she nearly resisted him. Harry was the last student to be cursed. Moody asked him to jump on his desk. Harry started to, and balked. Moody cursed him again, and Harry turned to stare at him.

"Good!" yelled Moody. "Did you see the last two students? Granger nearly beat the imperious, and Potter did! It just takes dedication and strength of will. Now, all of you know what the spell feels like, should you be attacked. Any questions?" Harry could tell Moody was actually extremely angry. Was it that he felt students should not be able to resist that curse? Harry really didn't like being around Moody. The man was unstable.

There were no questions.

Harry's empathy test came in May. Xavier told him it was Harry's decision whether or not to tell Pomfrey about his animagus history. Minerva told Harry she had known Pomfrey for a very long time, and trusted her completely. Harry trusted her also, so he had gone to talk to Madam Pomfrey about scheduling the test.

"Madam Pomfrey," Harry said, "before I have you schedule an empathy test, I must tell you one of my most guarded secrets. There are very few people who know."

"Members of the medical profession are most discrete, Harry," said the Matron. "Healer patient confidentiality can only be broken in certain court cases, notably murder, and then only under veritas serum and careful questioning. It is not taken lightly. I maintain the same level of confidentiality with my students, regardless of whether they are a patient, or not."

"Thank you," said Harry. "To make a long story short, my life from age two to age ten was spent entirely as a kneazle. That is where I have picked up what you recognize as empathy. I am not sure how similar my kneazle traits and wizard empathy actually is. I made a spontaneous transformation when I was two."

"Oh my," said the Matron, "I didn't expect that. May I assume Headmaster knows?"

"Yes," replied Harry, "and Professor McGonagall, my head of house, as well as Xavier Figg, my guardian. Do you think knowledge of my animagus ability will be compromised, if I take this test?"

"No, not at all," said Pomfrey. "The test just measures your aptitude for awareness of a patient's emotional status, and the type and amount of pain they experience. You are not personally examined in any way."

"I would like to schedule the test, then," said Harry. "I believe it will help me as a healer."

"I have no doubt it will," said Pomfrey. "Eight years as a kneazle? I would have never suspected. You show no adverse effects, that I can tell."

"I feel no different," said Harry, "whether I am in kneazle form, or human. My senses are a bit different, since certain characteristics of my eyes and sensory organs change, but otherwise, I am the same. The only difference I can find, from my brothers and sisters, is that I am more drawn to books and education than they are. I like to experiment a bit. I don't know how they would be, if they desired to become human ... if they would have the ability. There are aspects of learning magic that kneazles would have difficulty with. Language is the primary one. Kneazles don't use language like humans do. The study of magic, at Hogwarts, is very language oriented. Kneazles don't have hands for wands."

"Most of the greeters at the St. Mungo's emergency room are empaths," said Pomfrey. "You will sit beside one of the most talented, as an intern, and discreetly write your impressions of the mental and physical state of incoming patients. At the end of the shift, your observations will be compared to the empath on duty."

That sounded easy to Harry. He was looking forward to the day of his test. Madam Pomfrey escorted him to St. Mungo's.

"Intern Potter," said Pomfrey, "this is Healer Rothchild. She will give you your empathy evaluation. Please return by the Hogwarts infirmary floo when you are finished. You do have your key, correct?"

"Yes Ma'am," said Harry. Madam Pomfrey nodded with a grin, and left.

"May I call you Harry," asked Mrs. Rothchild. "My name is Amy. Titles get a bit stiff, here at the hospital, and most of us rather not go around saying healer this, or intern that. It is uncomfortable, and we are in the business of comfort. Yeah?"

"Yes Ma'am, " said Harry.

"I am about to go on shift," said Amy, " and you will just write down your observations of each patient's mental and physical state, as well as anything observed for the persons who are with them. Parents and companions can be most helpful in diagnosis."

At the end of the shift, they compared notes. Harry had received a few mental pictures from the children who were in the most pain.

"Harry," said Amy, "you are spot on for emotions and level of pain. You missed some of the areas and types of pain, especially on the two unconscious patients, but you did rather well. Next year is your OWL year, and I would like for you to get a bit of training, if you plan to continue with your healing studies. It wouldn't be every week."

"I would like that Amy," said Harry. "I plan to stay with it. I am also going to get a transfiguration mastery."

"I expect you to be accepted at St. Mungo's," said Amy. "Once you get here, we will see what further aptitudes and abilities you have. I also have a few mind healing patients, since empathy is most helpful with them. There are a few other skills mind healers learn, as well. I look forward to working with you, for you surely will be one of the greeters. Bye now, I must hurry and pick up my daughter. She goes to a day school."

"Bye Amy," said Harry. He returned to Hogwarts, and briefed Madam Pomfrey. He was happy with the results of his empathy test.

The end of May brought the third and final event of the tournament. Harry wasn't too concerned. He didn't know what he could do to prepare for the event. He would just show up, and see what happens.

The champions met in the usual tent, for final instructions. Once again, Bagman gave the details. "You are about to enter a maze, filled with various traps and hazards. Here is a bracelet to wear that marks your position in the maze, so the spectators can see your progress on the magical map, displayed for all to see. Spectators can't watch you champions actually overcome your obstacles, but they have been given a small pamphlet that details the obstacles you will meet, and where they are in the maze."

Bagman continued, "The first person to get the end, and pick up the Tri-wizard Tournament Trophy, wins the event. You will all enter the maze at different times, based upon your standing from the first two events. If you come upon another contestant ahead of you, you must turn around, and take another path. That is the only advantage to entering the maze ahead of others. The sanctions of the Goblet ensure compliance. The only exception to this concerns the acquisition of the trophy. If two or more of you are in sight of the trophy at the same time, you may hex each other in your attempt to reach the trophy first. The unforgivables, blasters, and cutters are, of course, not allowed. Keep alert at all times. Mr. Potter, you are the first to enter."

Harry had a thirty second lead into the maze, followed by Victor, then Cedric, and lastly, Fleur. Fleur was two minutes behind Harry. The only thing accomplished by the different starting times, is that they were more likely to go different directions. One minute in this maze was insignificant. The maze of the final competition really wasn't much of a maze. The only thing the dark, dingy paths did, is make the challenges somewhat random for the champions. It was supposed to be difficult to see inside the maze, but Harry's eyes had no trouble at all. The champions could meet the same obstacle more than once, depending on the actual path they took. All paths led to the exit, in a round-a-bout way. There were no dead ends in the maze. As long as they were headed south, they were headed for the exit.

Harry was in the maze, and on the hunt. It reminded him of being back home playing "touch the prey". Harry jumped over a blast-ended skrewt without slowing down. He came to a blue mist that covered the entire path, top to bottom. He hadn't seen anything like it before, but he thought it couldn't be immediately deadly. He shot a stunner into it, and it just dispersed. He touched it, and it felt ... mushy. He backed up a few paces, and sprinted for it. It drew him to the center of it, and turned him upside down. He couldn't levitate himself out, and making himself lighter did no good. Harry partially transformed, and flew out of it (he kept his hands and arms human). Most people were expected to transfigure a ladder from pebbles, and climb through it. This event really had not been designed for animagi, especially not one of Harry's talent.

Harry had to freeze flame the next obstacle, and get across a pit of very large snakes with several pedestal islands on the next ... he flew across that one also. The pit was charmed to make levitation difficult. Transfiguration played heavily in its design and/or the guts to jump from platform to platform.

He came to an obvious mud bog that had little or no room to get up speed to jump. Something was moving in the bog. It was supposed to require charms to navigate. He made himself weigh about two pounds, and jumped. Off he went again. The spectators couldn't believe how fast he was moving, in relationship to the others.

The only obstacle that slowed Harry down was a sphinx, who had a riddle Harry had to answer. She could present a riddle every ten minutes, or Harry could find another route. There was no way Harry was going to hurt her. If he had to, he would back track. Fortunately, he solved the riddle.

The next obstacle was a pair of snarling wolves. He changed into the giant cat, (again, he made sure the hand with the bracelet didn't transform), and just dared them to bite him. They didn't. Next, a hippogriff ... piece of cake. A bit later, a boggart was a dementor ... it died, but not in flames. He never left the bedroom without the stiletto. A young acromantula met a similar death. One spider could not catch him on a bad day.

In the stands, the announcer was nearly babbling. "Look at that Potter kid go! Does he even slow down! He's nearly to the end. There he is! He's taking the trophy! He's ... he's ... gone!"

Dumbledore had been chatting lightly with Minerva and Madam Maxime. He thought it unlikely any of the contestants would get killed this year. He had tried to keep out some of the worst obstacles that had been used in the past. He really wasn't thrilled with the acromantula, but it wasn't fully grown. He figured it would get tied up, or stunned. He didn't expect Harry to get to the acromantula, before the event was over. He was wrong about that. Harry was moving quickly. Too quickly, even for one of Minerva's favorites. Diggory was much better prepared, though not much over half way through. He would find time to chat with Harry after the Tournament was over. He had decided not to speak with him, while the Tournament was active. Given how Harry had performed, it would have looked bad.

Albus gripped the arms of his seat, and stood up. What the hell just happened? Where did Harry go? The hedge was supposed to glow brightly, with a fireworks display, when the trophy was in the successful contestant's hand.

Where is Alistor? He is my man on the grounds. He placed the trophy. He's heading for the front gate, as fast as his broken body will take him! "FAWKES!" he yelled. With a flash of fire, Albus grabbed feathers. "Get me behind Moody!" Another flash, and they were gone.

A strong Dumbledore stunner in the back, and Moody dropped like a sack of potatoes. Albus was ... livid.

Harry ran to the cup. The object was his. It was over. He felt tug of a portkey. Was this part of the contest?

Events played out in a matter of seconds. He was in an old grave yard. He saw a person in robes holding a bundle. Harry's scar started hurting. They were obviously waiting for him, with a veritable cloud of malevolent emotion.

The bundle said, "STUN HIM FOOL!", as the stunner was leaving the wand.

That stunner bounced off of his nearly automatic shield, as Harry shot his strongest reducto at the person, and took off running for all he was worth. He disappeared into the stone markers and trees. There probably aren't three people in the entire world who could have hit Harry running through those markers. He didn't stop running until he was out of the graveyard and deep in the nearby forest. He made the kneazle transformation, and hid up a tree, to think about what happened. His scar stopped hurting.

Harry had to find out where he was. He disillusioned himself, took the larger form, and started winging north.

The reducto had been effective. Pettigrew was down, and hurt.

"FIND HIM!", said the voice.

Pettigrew staggered to his feet. "Point me Harry Potter." The wand did nothing. "I can't, my Lord."

"MY PLANS! My plans. All ruined. Bring the bones. Take me back to the house. NO! Take me to Malfoy," said the bundle.

Back at the castle, Dumbledore was panicked. Harry had been port keyed. The headmasters and a few aurors watched as Moody changed into a man many of them recognized. Barty Crouch Jr. laid on the ground in front of them.

"Major Shacklebolt," asked Dumbledore, " are you carrying veritas serum?"

"Yes sir," said the auror. "I am required to carry it, among other things."

"Enervate the suspect, and find out where my student went," said Dumbledore. "Treat this as a kidnapping in progress."

The auror administered the truth serum, and enervated Crouch. He woke up a bit dazed.

"What is your name?" asked the auror.

"Bartimus Crouch Jr." replied the suspect.

"Did you kidnap Harry Potter?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes," said Crouch.

"Where is he? I need details," said the headmaster.

"He is with my Master in Little Hangleton," replied Crouch. "He has likely paid for what he did to the Dark Lord. He showed me how to adjust the Goblet of Fire, to enter his name. My Master wanted him taken, in plain sight, for all to see. He will be found dead in Diagon Alley tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" gasped Minister Fudge, who had just joined the crowd.

"Give me the coordinates of that portkey," said Dumbledore.

"The Dark Lord returns tonight, in all his glory," said Crouch, as he took a piece of paper from his pocket. "You will all die, and I will be at the right hand of the Master. He will reward me greatly, for what I have done."

Dumbledore looked at paper, gave it to the Major, and took off for the front gate at a run that would have surprised most, given his age.

"Squad! Follow me," said the Major, and he was hot on Dumbledore's heel.

"Secure this crazy man at DMLE," said Fudge. "NOW!"

Fudge's mind was spinning. He had to stop this foolishness. There was no way He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back. He was dead. Everyone knows the dead don't come back.

Dumbledore reached the cemetery just before the aurors. He saw the trophy laying on the ground, but there was no one around. A quick sonorus, and he yelled for Harry. There was no reply. He searched for the Tournament's tracking bracelet, with no success. He saw the desecrated grave, the cauldron, and immediately suspected what was happening. He and the aurors searched the area for several minutes, and Dumbledore left them with the investigation. He had a mess at the school to deal with.

He returned to the castle grounds, and conferred with the head masters and dignitaries. With a somber voice, he made the announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began. "The winner of the Tournament has been abducted. There is an ongoing investigation concerning what has happened. Please, help yourself to the fine refreshments that have been provided. There is no current danger to anyone. The aurors are doing everything they can." He spoke for a few moments with the other headmasters and the dignitaries. The other contestants were safe.

He walked back to the castle deep in thought. He had never believed Voldemort was truly gone, but this had caught him completely by surprise. He joined Minerva and the aurors in Moody's quarters. They had found a large supply of polyjuice and the real Alistor Moody. Moody had apparently been confined in his old auror's trunk. He was alive, but in pretty bad shape. He hadn't spent much time with Alistor this year. Every time he set something up to speak with him, Alistor had something else to do. Looking back, the pieces fit together.

Voldemort was back. He had always suspected he would return. Crouch had been sent to flamboyantly abduct Harry Potter, who had been Voldemort's downfall years ago. Albus started walking to his floo connection. Aurors were trying to find Harry, and would report back to DMLE. There had been no sign of Harry at the graveyard.

Albus arrived at DMLE headquarters. Fudge was just starting a meeting with Amelia Bones and Major Shacklebolt.

"Dumbledore," said Fudge. "This damned tournament blew up in our face. Crouch posed as Moody, and entered the Potter kid in the tournament. He was supposed to put Potter under the imperious curse, but Potter is resistant. He had keyed potion mines planted to stun any of the contestants who arrived before Potter. It just so happens Potter was first to finish the event."

"Mr. Potter didn't enter his own name," said Madam Bones, "contrary to popular opinion. This was an elaborate scheme."

"Crouch had some wild idea You-Know-Who was back," said Fudge. "All we found was some of Pettigrew's blood, and the trophy Moody made into a portkey. One of the graves was freshly dug up. A muggle named Thomas Riddle, I believe. You can take the trophy with you. It is of no use to our search for the Potter kid."

"I would like to ask questions of Mr. Crouch," said Dumbledore. "I believe he will have more information on Voldemort. We must find my student."

"Crouch was an escapee from Azkaban," said Fudge. "The first one! I thought Pettigrew was the first. Azkaban escapees get the kiss, and he already got his. I am not letting another one get loose, even though he had help the first time. His father helped him get out. He would get the kiss also, but his son already killed him. Hell, Junior was responsible for the Dark Mark at the World Cup."

"You know there are ways to sort out fact from delusion," said Dumbledore. "St. Mungo's would have sent over the necessary people."

"I know you think You-Know-Who will come back," said Fudge. "That is impossible. The dead don't return."

"I don't think he is truly dead," said Dumbledore. "You know the report of the attack at Godric's Hollow was inconclusive."

"You listen to me, Dumbledore," said Fudge. "You will not start a panic with your wild ideas about You-Know-Who."

"Then, I think, we must part ways, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. "We must act on this information."

"YOU WILL KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!" screamed Fudge. "I will have you up on charges, if you try to spread these lies about You-Know-Who."

"Do what you must, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, "and I will do the same. This threat to our world must be stopped."

"Are you threatening me?" asked Fudge.

"Not at all," said Dumbledore. "I will continue to fight evil, as I always have. Voldemort can NOT be allowed to destroy our life."

Albus walked out of the room with the trophy. He would have to get the old crowd back together. Voldemort was entirely too dangerous. He had already made two attempts to return. What he saw in the graveyard bothered him. He would contact his old mentor, Nicklas Flamel. He would have some ideas about what was happening.

Was Harry Potter dead? Would he be found in Diagon Alley in the morning? Albus needed a drink. Nothing he did for Harry Potter, the boy of prophecy, ever worked out well. Dumbledore had his parents under the fidelius, and they were killed. His Godfather was wrongly accused of the crime. Albus placed young Harry with his nearest relatives, and he made a spontaneous transformation into a kneazle, apparently because they were horrid people. He lived that way for eight years! He showed up for Hogwarts, and killed a Voldemort possessed professor. He destroyed an enchanted diary, that nearly closed the school. Then the damned dementors worked Harry over. Harry was likely rather close to the first two dementors killed. Albus still studied the ward logs every morning. Now, this tournament. Even though he tried to keep underage students out of it, Harry's name was entered. Now, Harry may be dead. He was positive the prophecy was still active, and he desperately needed that boy. Neither can live, while the other survives. Voldemort still lingered around. Albus needed another drink.

Harry found out where he was, by following some roads and looking at road signs. He was back in Ottery St. Catchpole by 3:00 a.m. He caught a nap, and met Xavier for breakfast in the morning. His bracelet went active as he transformed back into human form.

"Harry!," exclaimed Xavier, "you had me worried. What happened?"

"Portkey took me to a graveyard," said Harry. "I didn't take any chances. There was a man waiting for me, and he immediately shot a stunner at me. I hit him with a reducto, and took off. They didn't touch me."

"Good work," said Xavier. "I am going to notify the aurors and Albus right now. I will be right back."

Xavier returned in a few minutes. "Eat breakfast," he said. "Aurors will be here in a few minutes to escort you to Hogwarts. They are taking no chances that there are others waiting for you."

"What do I tell them?" asked Harry. "I don't want to mention I flew back."

"Tell them you caught a ride with a lorry," said Xavier. "You don't know the driver's name."

"OK," said Harry. "I am glad this is over. No more Tournament."

"It's not over," said Xavier. "Everyone knows you were abducted."

"I don't even know who did it," said Harry. "I can't tell them anything."

"That's not a bad thing," said Xavier. "How was the third task?"

"Easy," said Harry. Harry told him how he made it through the maze. "I just didn't want any more of that pain."

"The less you tell people," said Xavier, "the better."

"I am used to that," said Harry. Harry finished his breakfast, as Lanta announced Auror Shacklebolt's arrival. He told the auror his tale of escape on the way back to Hogwarts. There really was not much to say, since he didn't know anything. The auror told him his abductor put his name in the Goblet, and had been given the kiss, under his supervision. Harry was safe from him. There would be a press conference waiting at Hogwarts.

The press conference was bedlam. Reporters kept shouting questions that Harry would not answer. He moved like Shacklebolt's shadow, and the big man waded through the crowd effortlessly.

"Mr. Potter was abducted last night," said Auror Shacklebolt. "He was able to escape, and make it to a place he could contact us. I picked him up this morning. We know who his captors were. They were both Azkaban escapees, and the first has been given the Kiss of Azkaban. We WILL catch the other."

Minister Fudge stepped forward. "Now that everyone is here, we can finish the Tournament. I see all of the contestants are here. Mr. Potter, please step forward."

Harry walked up to Minister Fudge, and Fudge continued, "We know you didn't enter this contest, and we know who did it, and why. I am very pleased to announce you have won the Tri-wizard Tournament. Here is the thousand galleon prize, and here is your certificate of completion, with NEWTs in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration. Mr. Potter, you are now a fully recognized, qualified wizard, by edict of the International Confederation of Witches and Wizards."

Harry accepted the certificate and gold. "Thank you, Minister Fudge," he said. "I am just glad it is over." He said nothing else.

The Minister had the other three champions come forward, praised them for their success, and gave them their certificates of completion. They were already recognized adults, in the wizarding world, but the Tri-wizard Tournament was a major achievement for their resume. The champions would have little trouble being accepted any where they applied, after school.

Tests were over. The Tournament was over. Two more days were left until the train left. The moon was full, and it was a warm night. Harry asked Minerva if he and Ginny could go through the wards tonight, as animagi, for a short flight. She said it would be OK, as long as they didn't set foot in the Forest at night. Harry caught up with Ginny, and asked her a silent question.

"Would you come with me tonight outside?" asked Harry. "I want to show you what I have been working on, in my spare time. I wanted to surprise you."

"Sure, Harry," said Ginny. "What time?"

"Eleven or twelve," said Harry. "When ever you can get free. I will meet you in the common room, and we will go out the pet tunnel. I have cleared it with Professor McGonagall."

Later that night, they fairly raced out the tunnel, down the stairs, and out the pet access in the front of the castle. They ran on out to the barns without stopping.

"Ginny," said Harry. "I have made a harness, so you can fly with me. Would you like to try?" Harry showed the rig to her.

"Sure Harry," said Ginny. "We will start slowly, right?"

"Can do easy," said Harry. Harry transformed, and used the skills he learned in the infirmary to put on the harness.

"Keep a hand on the harness," Harry said silently. Ginny mounted up, and found stirrups and straps for her legs. "I am going to disillusion us," he said, as he started to run, slowly picking up speed. He set his wings, and left the ground. They left the wards heading for Hogsmeade, about fifteen feet above the ground. They flew out over the lake, and down the river, slowly gaining altitude. Their ability to see an night was excellent, in the bright moon light. There were still lights on, in Hogsmeade.

"Harry!" exclaimed Ginny. "This is great! Too bad we can't do this at home."

"I do," said Harry. "Most every night."

"Oh Harry," said Ginny. "I think I hate Mum's clock."

"We can fly inside the wards," said Harry. "It isn't the same, but it is the best we can do." They flew leisurely into the night, for about an hour. Ginny's few stone didn't matter to Harry at all. She went to bed, with a grin on her face.

At the leaving feast, Dumbledore made what could be considered a tactical political error. "I want all students and their families to remain vigilant," he said. "It is my opinion that these two Death Eaters that kidnapped Mr. Potter is just the beginning of troubles for us. The Death Eaters are starting to move again. I must tell you this, so I can sleep at night. Please, have a wonderful, and safe, summer holiday."

Harry was on his way to the train. "Harry, my boy," said Albus. "I need to talk to you and Xavier when you get home."


	18. Chapter 18 Voldemort Returns

Chapter 18 Voldemort Returns

The trip home was uneventful. Lanta met Harry in his room, as he was putting his stuff away.

"Master Figg is in his study, with Albus Dumbledore," said Lanta. "They want you to join them as soon as you can."

"Thanks, Lanta," said Harry. "I will be right there."

Harry knocked, and entered the study. "You asked for me, Xavier?" said Harry.

"Yes, please make yourself comfortable," said Xavier. "Albus and I have been discussing what happened to you this year, and why it happened. I want you fully informed. You were abducted, rather openly, and you were meant to be killed."

"Why me?" asked Harry. "What am I, to them, to have them attack me?"

"Nothing, Harry," said Albus. "I have discussed this with Xavier, and, as he just said, he wants you to know. Just before you were born, there was a prophecy. It seemed to identify two possible couples, one of which was your parents. We took measures to keep them, and you, safe ... but those measures failed."

"What was this prophecy?" asked Harry.

"The prophecy states," said Albus, "well, this is it, verbatim."

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...."

Dumbledore continued, "Voldemort was alerted to the first part, that a child would be born at the end of July, capable of stopping his rise to power. He took every measure he could, to ensure he obliterated the threat before it started, and failed."

Harry was deep in thought. "What power did I have as a baby, that would vanquish Voldemort?" he asked.

"I don't think you did," said Dumbledore. "You were a mere babe. Love is something Voldemort knows absolutely nothing about. He sees it as weakness, and would NEVER put someone else's welfare before his own. I think your mother's love was the key. She used her charms talent, and knowledge from the Department of Mysteries, to protect you. I believe she combined her love, and personal sacrifice, to make old world blood protection charms ... to shield you. She showed me what she was working on, a few weeks before she died. I tried to continue to keep this protection viable, at your Aunt's house in Surrey, but ... that didn't work out as I planned. I had hoped you would have time to become an adult, before the prophecy became active again. That doesn't seem to be the case, however."

"I am being hunted," said Harry. "because of a stupid prophecy."

"Regardless of how it started," said Xavier, "it appears Voldemort means to kill you. You have set back his rise to power, and he will not stop, until either he gets you, or he is destroyed. It seems he wants to kill you, with a lot of fanfare. You have damaged his ... public image. That bodes ill for a terrorist."

"I am reactivating the ancient Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore. "It has stood against evil for centuries, if not millennia. I am just asking old members, if they will go active again. Keep their ears open."

"I immediately resumed my position," said Xavier. "Figgs have been members, for generations."

"I want to join," said Harry.

"The charter restricts membership," said Dumbledore, " to those who are of age. Alas Harry, you are not. In any event, you are not fully trained yet, and we dare not risk your death, before your time."

"What training do you think I lack?" asked Harry. "What do you think I need to do, to be fully trained?"

"You should continue your Hogwarts education," said Dumbledore. "That is a good foundation to build on. Fate protected you before, and it will again ... I just don't know how it will play out. Your ability to love is your greatest weapon against Voldemort. I am pleased you are putting so much effort into learning the healing arts."

Dumbledore continued, "I plan to ask my alchemy master, Nicolas Flamel, to get involved. His experience in magic is unparalleled. He may have some ideas of how to stop Voldemort. Now that he has found a way to contact his death eaters, we may have something tangible to fight. I am going to see Nicolas now. I wanted to impress upon you how much danger you are in, before I get involved elsewhere. The safest place I know of, is Hogwarts, and Voldemort was able to get to you there, right under my nose. Please be careful. Now, I must be going. I know the way out. I am sure there is more for both of you to discuss."

"What should I do differently?" asked Harry, after Dumbledore had left. "Is there something new I should be learning?"

"I don't know what it would be," said Xavier. "Continue with defense, and we will see what Nicolas Flamel might bring. Let your father know of the increased danger. It is common knowledge that you are here during the summer. I will be thoroughly examining the protection wards. The House of Figg is going on battle alert."

"Do you think love is the power to stop Voldemort?" asked Harry.

"How much did your love do, to stop him, your first year at Hogwarts?" asked Xavier. "I don't think you gave him a kiss. You acted, in love, to protect the young unicorn. Nothing unusual there. Trust your weapons, Harry. Stay alert. I will see you in the morning. I like the barmy old man, but he really isn't a fighter. Dumbledore is powerful, and he has gotten involved in fighting, out of necessity. He is also a formidable politician."

"Wait a minute," Xavier continued. "Look, I know where Dumbledore is coming from. Strong emotion powers strong magic. Emotion is the basis for outbursts of accidental magic. Voldemort has destroyed countless families, and I doubt your mother's love was any stronger than many of them. Something else is involved. Maybe your mother did have a little known charm, but that isn't what the prophecy said. The prophecy said that the one with the power approaches, and would be marked. That implies you. We will work it out, Harry." Harry nodded his head, and went outside to think.

Mean while, at the Ministry, Cornelius Fudge pondered his problem with the senile old headmaster. He needed to undermine him, to keep him from starting a panic. After all these years, Dumbledore finally wanted to be Minister of Magic. He had just the person for the job. He started walking toward her office.

"Delores," said Cornelius. "I have a problem I would like for you to give your considerable talent to."

"How can I help you, Minister," simpered Delores Umbridge. "It would be my pleasure to give you any assistance you need."

"I want you to be the professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts," said Fudge. "Dumbledore has requested a Ministry Auror, to teach DADA. I want you to use that position to destroy the credibility of Dumbledore, and his Tri-wizard wonder boy, Harry Potter. I know he will use Potter, politically. I would. I mean, really, how could a fourth year student possibly win every event at the Tri-wizard Tournament, without inside assistance? What would that assistance be worth, politically, with a boy who is already the darling of the wizarding world? An orphan boy, whose parents died, saving him from You-Know-Who."

Cornelius Fudge gave Delores Umbridge a meaningful expression. "You have my full support and authority. I will give you any signature you need. Dumbledore has the misguided notion You-Know-Who is trying to return. He will use everything at his disposal to further this idea, to the detriment of the wizarding world. He even threatened me, the Minister of Magic, in no uncertain terms."

"As you wish," said Umbridge. "I will draw up plans, and we will discuss possibilities. I will be ready in September with the fall term."

Harry went looking for his father, and he was out and about. Harry flew over to the Burrow, and met Ginny in her room, getting ready for bed. It didn't take her long to get ready for a flight. Her mother had already been in, to wish her good night. They stayed inside the wards, and enjoyed themselves. Harry tried a few of his more bold moves, while flying, and Ginny stayed with him like a professional jockey. Once again, Ginny went to sleep with a smile on her face. Harry found his father when he returned, and told him what Xavier said. Trouble was likely coming.

Harry was in the training room the next morning, practicing shields with Xavier and Sirius, when it happened. Harry went to his knees in panic. It was like he was in a dream, but not. He was drowning in hot water. He was surely going to die. It was over as suddenly as it started. He rose up, and looked around. No, he didn't rise. It was like looking through a window. No, that's not right. He WAS a window. There were three men in a dark room. One was bound, and in pain. The two others were watching.

Harry heard ... felt ... sound. "Robe me."

The sound continued. "For many long years, I have drifted, barely conscious. I was able to possess small creatures, from time to time, but they could not sustain me. Once, I was able to possess a man. I thought I would be successful, and suddenly I was thrust out into the void again."

"A servant found me. The details are unnecessary, but he helped me construct a simulacrum to use in a resurrection ritual. The Potter boy was going to be the fodder for it, but he escaped my powerless servant. For now. No matter. I have many enemies suitable for the ritual. Isn't that right, Mr. Cooper. It seems I am rambling."

The bound man struggled to escape his bonds.

"Kill the fodder," said the voice. "Lucius, I would rest, and gain my strength. Where may I do that?"

"Follow me, My Lord," said a tall man, with white blond hair. "I have secure quarters for you."

Harry woke up on the floor, with Xavier and Sirius on their knees beside him.

"What happened," asked Xavier. "How do you feel? You weren't hit by any of our spell fire."

"I don't know," said Harry. "It was like I was somewhere else. At first, I was drowning, and I thought I would never breathe again. Then I was up, and walking around. The man from the cemetery was there. There was another man named Cooper, bound on the floor. The man from the cemetery killed him. I followed a man named Lucius, and I woke up here."

"Has any thing like this happened before?" asked Sirius.

"No," replied Harry. "Never. It seemed so real."

"Lanta," said Xavier. "Bring my pensieve. Harry, I would like to see that memory, if I may. That will help us determine what has happened."

The elf arrived with a large, ornate bowl shaped object, covered in runes and symbols.

"Harry," said Xavier, "I want you to visualize this event. When you have it, I will copy it with my wand. Ready?"

Harry nodded, and concentrated. "OK, I've got it," said Harry. Xavier pulled his wand away from Harry's head, with a small ball of light attached. He put it in the bowl, which was filled with a silvery liquid.

"Just stick in your finger," said Xavier. "The pensieve will do the rest." All three inserted a finger, and watched the memory. It was over quickly.

Sirius was the first to speak. "The rat!" he said. "That was Peter Pettigrew."

"The bound man is ... was, a retired auror," said Xavier. "The blond is Lucius Malfoy. I must show this to Dumbledore. You don't mind, do you Harry?"

"No, not at all," said Harry. "Do what you think you need to. This has never happened to me before. Was that my name mentioned."

"Thank you," said Xavier. "I think the voice was talking about you, about when you were abducted. I suggest going out on the grounds, and relaxing. Training is over for today. When I have more information for you, I will let you know." Harry nodded, and left. He met the girls at the pond at the Burrow. They were having fun with the boots.

The next day, Dumbledore returned to see Xavier and Harry.

"Gentlemen," said Dumbledore, "I would like for you both to come with me, to visit Nicolas Flamel. He lives in a remote spot of Belgium, and rarely leaves his home. I don't think he has left the village, in over one hundred fifty years."

"I have time now," said Xavier. "I am busy this afternoon, so I can't stay too long. Do you have anything scheduled, Harry?"

"No," replied Harry. "Nothing that can't be done later."

They followed Dumbledore to the manor's foyer, and took a portkey. They arrived in another foyer, occupied by an old man, sitting in a large chair. The ancient wizard was a small, thin man, and didn't look a day over 250.

"Welcome to my home, Harry Potter," said Flamel. "Let's dispense with the amenities. I am too old, for useless chit chat. I understand you had something of a vision. I know of the prophecy that concerned you, and I know of Voldemort. He is a particularly brutal necromancer, that is likely to destroy our culture, given the chance. I don't have the ability to fight any more, but I would like to work with you, if Voldemort has targeted you. May I perform a few tests?"

"Yes, of course," said Harry. He could sense peace and tranquillity rolling off of the old man. He knew Xavier and Dumbledore trusted him.

"Follow me," said the old man. Flamel walked to another, smaller room. He had Harry take a seat, and started several complex movements with his wand.

After a few moments, Flamel spoke again. "You have a foreign piece of ethereal body lodged around that curse scar. I will assume, for now, that it is from Voldemort. That is both good, and bad, in that it gives you a tie to him. I think we can minimize the possibility of another debilitating vision, now that we know how it happened. Albus informs me you are a student of the healing arts, and have some ability as an empath. He also has told me you are an animagus ... a kneazle. Rest assured, that knowledge will not leave my property. Your ability as an empath is what caused your problem the other day. We can help you control that problem, if you wish."

"Yes sir, please, ..." said Harry, in a little awe of the man. The old man radiated 'alpha', though he was obviously past his prime. He reminded Harry of the respected older cats in the pride, that had once been the alphas. They would never go hungry, when they can't hunt ... the pride takes care of its own.

Harry continued, "Voldemort means to kill me, because of some prophecy. I welcome all of the help I can get."

"Would you be willing to spend a few days with me, and my wife?" asked the old man. "I assure you, my home is safe and protected."

"Yes, sir," said Harry. "I would be happy to spend some time here. I don't have any projects going that I can not postpone."

"Good, good," said Flamel. "I will have my elf, Kerry, prepare your rooms. Kerry!"

A small elf appeared by his side. "Kerry, we will have a guest. Please ready a room."

"As you wish, Master," said Kerry, "The Mistress has had lunch prepared in her gardens."

Xavier and Dumbledore stayed for early lunch, and had a pleasant visit with the old couple, who were gracious hosts. Xavier and Dumbledore left after lunch.

"Harry, please come with us to my study," said Nicolas. "We will discuss your life more thoroughly." Harry followed the couple to a room that looked like a small library.

"Please, tell us about yourself," said the old man. "It will help us get an idea where to start."

Harry began the long narration, starting back as far as he could remember, filling in the gaps from what he had heard from other people.

"I know what Tom Riddle has done," said Nicolas. "He has bound his spiritual body to his ethereal body, in an attempt at immortality. It was risky, but it gives him a measure of success. True immortality does not exist, for the physical body. We will endeavor to shorten his ... experiment. Your tie to his ethereal body is one of his weak points, but it has nothing to do with your strength. I can help you unbind him, so he can be moved on. I won't comment on his ultimate destination. We just want him to move on. He destroyed my family, in his attempt to get to me, and my life's work. I only wish I could be the one to terminate his existence. I tried. He took ... our reason for living. We are not fighters." Perenelle started to gently weep.

"Sir, what can you tell me about my prophecy?" asked Harry. "Am I the only one who can destroy him?"

"By no means," said Nicolas. "In my opinion, your prophecy was complete, the day you received that scar. That prophecy only told of that unfortunate altercation, when your parents lost their life, and Voldemort lost his physical body. My former apprentice, Albus, disagrees, but, well, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Prophecy is never an exact discipline. I think there is something about you that gives you a defense against the infamous killing curse. That, in itself, is unusual. I think we can shed some light on that, before you leave in a few days."

"Young man," said Perenelle. "the first thing we will teach you, is meditation. That will give you a greater ability to focus on your empathy. We can also give you a start on a few of the mind arts, that will help you in your medical studies, among other things. My specialty is the healing arts. It will also help you focus on your ability to ... take the fight to your ... our ... enemy." She couldn't continue, at the moment.

"My specialty, as you have probably heard," said Nicolas, "is alchemy. I hope my knowledge will be the downfall of this cretin who would rule the world. I learned much, in my development of the Sorcerer's Stone. Will you work with us?"

"Yes sir," said Harry. "If I have learned anything, in my life, I have learned Voldemort will not stop coming for me. He is a predator, and he preys like the acromantula. No, he preys for territory, for no apparent reason. At least the acromantula feed progeny. He thinks I am a threat to him. To protect myself, I will see him dead, or die trying. There is no leaving that one alone."

"Your life as a kneazle," said Flamel. "I see. You have no misconception of who, and what, Voldemort is. That may very well be the catalyst that prepares for his ultimate demise.

"Please come with me," said Perenelle. "We will start meditation." Harry followed her out into the beautiful foliage.

"I am an empath," said Perenelle. "Please reach out with your senses, and touch mine."

Harry did, and he had never felt anything quite like it. It was similar to what he knew, as a kneazle, but far deeper. She began to silently communicate with him. "Follow me, young man."

She showed him how to go deep into himself ... to better know himself. She taught him how to protect himself against a vision like the one that took him off his feet a few days earlier. Empaths must know how to protect themselves from the strong emotions of other people, especially when working with traumatized patients. Both of the Flamels spent several days working with him. Nicolas was not the caliber of empath Perenelle was, but he was no slouch. They helped Harry identify personal strengths and weaknesses.

Nicolas explained Harry's direct connection to Voldemort, after supper one night, as Harry was getting ready to leave.

"The ethereal body connects the physical body with the spiritual body," said Nicolas. "When the physical body dies, the three bodies normally separate. The physical body is dirt and water, the ethereal body slowly dissipates, and the spiritual body moves on ... some say to the next great adventure. I won't get into that. Voldemort has bound his ethereal body to his spiritual body, so he has an anchor. He is able to attach to other physical bodies, as long as the binding holds. The spiritual body is considered to be immortal, as we understand immortality."

"Your ethereal body has a piece of Voldemort's ethereal body attached to it. That, in itself, will not cause you any problem. You may consider it the glue and communications medium that holds the physical and spiritual together. It is of no consequence to your own ethereal body. The communication nature of the ethereal body allows both you, and Voldemort, to experience visions of each other, particularly at strongly emotional moments ... if either of you permit it. I wonder if Voldemort has the ability to stop it. Probably. Empathy, and all of the mental and metaphysical arts utilize some aspect of the ethereal body."

Nicolas continued, "I want to see you back here for the Christmas holidays. I should have something developed, by then, that will give Voldemort some trouble. Regardless of whether I have something, or not, I will need to make a few more tests. That piece of ethereal body you have has been, and will continue to be, most helpful."

"You have spent most of your life communicating empathically," said Perenelle. "The exercises we have given you should help keep you safe from him. The legilemency and occlumency exercises I have shown you should help you, should you continue in the healing arts. I think you could be an amazing mind healer, with practice. I was impressed with the memories you showed us, as we practiced."

"The memory of your altercation with Voldemort, as a child," said Nicolas, "was most illuminating. Not only are you a natural empath, but you are very sensitive to active magic around you. No child should be subjected to the sort of trauma that generates that kind of spontaneous, accidental magic. You are actually able to phase a shield that can stop the killing curse. That is all I can think of to call it. Tell no one of that ability. No one. Your training through the years has shown how formidable your shields can be. Are you sure you won't take a portkey home?"

"No, the flight home will be most enjoyable," said Harry. "There is nothing more entertaining than flying. It really isn't that far, and the weather is great for flying."

"Remember, Harry," said Perenelle, "you are welcome in our home anytime, day or night. We are always here."

Harry made the transformation into his larger flying form.

"When Albus said you were a kneazle," said Nicolas, "I never pictured you like this. Be safe, young man."

"I don't think he knows," said Harry. "We don't have occasion to talk much. My animagus ability is not common knowledge. I will see you, at the Christmas holidays."

Harry took flight into the night, and disillusioned himself. Nicolas turned to his wife. "Albus thinks that boy is the key to stopping Voldemort. He may well be, but he shouldn't treat him like a mushroom. Albus has spent too much time around school children, to recognize what is right in front of him."

"Albus believes too much in the fundamental goodness of humanity," said Perenelle. "What that boy went through, at his Aunt's house, could have broken him. The kneazles saved him. Who would have thought magical creatures were so ... "

"I know," said Nicolas. "We will help that one, my love."

Harry rested for a while in a small tract of timber, after crossing the English Channel. He wasn't in a hurry. The trip to Belgium had given him a lot of information. He got home about dark, the next day, and spent the night with his family. Harry and Xavier exchanged quick summaries the next day. Voldemort was doing absolutely nothing, and Harry was the focus of gossip for the wizarding England. The Daily Prophet was still treating Harry like the Tri-wizard Golden Boy. The abduction was glossed over.

Deep inside Malfoy Manor, Voldemort was gaining strength, following his resurrection. He had no network of death eaters, to speak of. That would take time. He had to get that prophecy before he moved forward. How in the hell did a one year old child send him into the void? Something that mudblood mother of his did? Rookwood said she worked in the Department of Mysteries. Yes, he would get that damned prophecy. He would also find out what in the hell his ... minions ... had been doing. He didn't want to stay at Malfoy Manor too long, either. He would start on a secure location soon.

Harry spent at least four hours every morning training, in some area. It varied quite a bit. He asked Ginny to arrange some time on a weekend, to spend with her father, on the glider. She invited him for lunch, and he used the floo.

Molly heard the floo alarm announce the arrival. "Hello, Harry," she said, poking her head out of the kitchen. "Come in, and have a seat. Anything to drink?" Ginny and Luna was sitting at the table.

"No, thanks," replied Harry. "Not yet."

"Daddy's out in the barn," said Ginny. "Ron's over at Neville's, and who knows where the twins are. Mom, how long until you want us in, for lunch?"

"Half an hour, I think," said Molly. "Harry, that tournament ended awful. A death eater, of all things. I was happy to hear of your escape. How did you do that?"

"I am a pretty fast runner," said Harry. "I took off right after the portkey dropped me. I got a ride with a lorry."

"Good thinking," said Molly. "I was so relieved to hear the aurors found you." She had a wand in one hand, and a spatula in the other.

"I am going to take Harry out to the barn," said Ginny. "We will bring Daddy back in half an hour."

"Harry, lad!" said Arthur, as the group walked in the barn. "Glad you could come over. It's nice to have more people getting involved in the project." Arthur was rolling up a cable.

"Anything I can do to help?" asked Harry. "Are you going to fly it today?"

"I'm just straightening up a bit," said Arthur. "We can take it up. The wonderful thing about magic is, that even though it only holds two people, we can expand things a bit, so the four of us can go. If everyone wants to, that is. I have it set up pretty much like a family broom, only less complicated. The enchantments are on the keel. The pilot still controls the magical power while he holds the stick, but the magical lift and push is controlled by this hidden panel. Much safer, that way. This is no quidditch broom. Lift is always away from gravity, and push is down the keel, away from the nose." He tapped the dash board, and a panel slid sideways. "This is quite the machine," he said proudly. "Acts like a glider, plane, and helicopter, truth be known. I don't have to use magic all of the time, to keep it in the air, like a broom needs. I just have to be careful where muggles are. Gliders can't float in the air, like this one can."

"Daddy, it's time to go get cleaned up for lunch," said Ginny. "Mum said she'd be ready in half an hour, and it took us a few minutes to get out here."

"Right, OK," said Arthur, looking around. "Let's go."

The tournament was the topic of lunch, and Harry kept it low key. He told them he was lucky to have an intelligent dragon for the first event, and he just showed her the phony egg. Everyone assumed he pointed it out somehow while he was 'dancing'. There was a lot of discussion on the size and ferocity of the dragon. He allowed as how the worst of the second event was cold water, and it WAS cold. Ginny had the opportunity to talk about her induction into the event. Lunch was pretty much over by the time he had to start talking about the third event.

Arthur had made a paved runway behind the barn, for proper appearances. Arthur contacted the local airport, and informed them he was going up for a local flight. He used the lift and push controls to get them up in the air. They flew for about three hours. Arthur showed them how he climbed with the wind ridges and thermals, and how he coasted down from the heights. He had to use lift all of the time, with the extra weight, but it didn't use a lot of magic. There was a lot of, "Look over there." and, "Look over here."

"I've got to get one of these," said Harry. "I like brooms, but ... I like this too. It is different. I should be able to buy one, if they aren't too expensive. It would be nice for flying in the winter. Is it difficult to charm?"

"Not really, once you know the charms," said Arthur. "Just have to watch the secrecy act. You will probably want to wait until you get out of school, but I can help you. We can get you a damaged one, and repair it easily enough. It shouldn't cost too much. You can even keep it here for a while, if you want. I have plenty of room. You can even come over here, and tinker around, if you want. I know school keeps you lot busy, for now. Ten weeks in the summer isn't much time."

"Thank you," said Harry. "I would like that. I think Xavier can help me get one. I might try next spring, so I can have it for the summer. This is great." It also put his mind in gear. He already used levitation in his flying form. Would it be so difficult to use the push factor? It was really just a slight modification of the levitation. He could set his wings in dive position, and haul arse. 'Yes," he thought. 'A new game this summer.'

None of them lost any time getting to the loo. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to take a long flight, right after lunch.

The summer went really fast. He spent many afternoons with his friends, either in the water or puttering with some project. Ginny was still heavily involved in animated portraits, with assistance from Luna. It was difficult to pry Neville from the green house, but if any thing could, it was swimming in the pond, or the Otter River it connected to. Ron was right beside him, for different reasons. Green houses made money. Hermione still tried a little bit of everything.

Harry found out if he wanted to be fast, he had to stay small. His larger form could catch more wind, and move faster IF he used his muscles. His original, smallest flying form was fastest if he used the pushing magic. The small form didn't need levitation, at all. It had less wind resistance. He had to work on it some, but it had the potential to be VERY fast. He was actually going to have to use the bubble head charm, to keep the wind out of his eyes, and to cut through the air better. It was almost like being in the water again. He actually had the glider to thank, for the idea. He was still going to have Xavier buy a glider. He didn't care for the noisy engine of the other planes.

Harry spent his second weekend in August with Minerva. He told her about using pushing, for flight, but she really wasn't interested. She enjoyed lazy, slow flight. They had a good time riding the thermals, and made plans for his transfiguration training the following year. He told her how his summer had gone, minus the little stint with Nicolas and Perenelle. He hadn't forgotten the old couple. He had just integrated what she taught him into a training schedule. Perenelle's stuff, he could do at night, or any time. Great, for Binns' class.

"Minerva," asked Harry after supper one night, "you've been around for a while. Does life get any better than this?"

"Hmm," said Minerva, "you might find age is an indelicate question to ask some women about, Harry, but the only thing that might be better, is a spouse and children. Mind you, that has been known to go both ways. Some people are greatly disappointed in how their families turn out, over time."

"A mate, and young ones," said Harry, "doesn't really cross my mind. I don't know if that is because of my kneazle background, or not. The alphas of the pride are the only ones who have kittens, and I am not sure what starts that chain of events. I have read enough physiology to understand the process, of course, in all mammals, but I haven't given it any thought. I suppose I thought children was just something people chose to do. The alphas are very involved in the raising of kittens, of course, but the whole pride is involved, as well. There hasn't been a litter of kittens in our pride, since I was a kitten."

"By and large," said Minerva, "most people do not necessarily choose to have children. They are the chance result of ... well, maybe I shouldn't be having this discussion. I over step myself, I think. You are very comfortable for me to talk with."

"I understand your point," said Harry. "A person can't be in the healing profession, and not know. Most animals that I am aware of have very little choice in sexual behavior. I really don't know where that leaves me, and it doesn't figure into my plans now. Magical education is what I do now, if the death eater problem doesn't get worse. One really messed up my plans last year. Would you do anything different, if you thought Voldemort was back?"

"My word," said Minerva, "that is a large question. Why do you ask? Is it because of Crouch Jr.?"

"Partly," said Harry. "Voldemort wanted me for a resurrection ritual. Crouch was supposed to deliver me, and I spoiled his plans. He used someone else. He is back, now. He means to get me, at some point. I don't know if the headmaster told you, or not. Hogwarts is probably as safe as any public place can be."

"He asked me about the Order of the Phoenix," said Minerva, "but I haven't given him an answer. I will always fight, to protect the school and the children."

"You are Deputy Headmistress," said Harry, "and Hogwarts is likely to be a target of some sort, for different reasons. Crouch may have just been the beginning."

"Thank you, Harry," said Minerva. "I will have to remember to be surprised when Albus tells me."

The fall term started, and with it, another new DADA professor. She stood out, in her pink clothing, primarily because the students all had dress standards to follow. It was not so, with the staff. A wide, false grin never left her face, and she spoke with an irritating, child-like whine. Harry could tell that it was fabricated to cause people to under estimate her, and give them a false sense of security. This woman was actually quite cold, and calculating. Her entire demeanor was an act. Oh joy, another creep for DADA. There had only been one professor in the spot worth Harry's attention, and that was Remus Lupin.

The first day of DADA set the pattern for Umbridge's class. Dry reading from a text book, with no practical. Ron received a detention with Filch, when he protested their need to learn actual defense. Hermione said they needed to know practical wand work for the OWLs, and nearly won a detention for herself. Umbridge said the OWLs were easy practicals that any serious student could master. This wasn't a dueling course. Umbridge said Hogwarts and the wizarding world was made safe by the Ministry. Umbridge thought Harry would say something, but he didn't. Harry could sense she was baiting, and he was having none of that.

DADA was worse than Binns class, for Harry. After one week, he couldn't think of a good reason to stay in the class, and asked McGonagall if he could drop it. She said as long as his tuition was paid, he could take as many, or as few, classes as he wanted.

Harry walked up to Umbridge, at the start of class. "Professor, do you have a minute?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," replied Umbridge. "How may I help you?"

"I am dropping your class, since I already have my NEWT," said Harry. "I am going to use the time for Healing Arts, with Madam Pomfrey."

"It is your choice," said Umbridge. "It is really too bad cheaters are able to get NEWTs in a sham tournament. You had to have cheated, to have beaten the best seventh year students of three schools."

"I didn't cheat," said Harry, knowing he should have dropped the course through Minerva. The professor had set him up, so that any reply would cost him.

"Detention, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge. "My office, at 8:00."

Harry arrived at her office for the detention. The door was open.

"Mr. Potter, please be seated," said Umbridge. "You will be writing lines. You will write the words, 'I Will Not Cheat,' until I tell you to stop. Use this quill and parchment."

Harry sat down, and looked for ink. "Do you have ink, Professor?" asked Harry.

"That quill supplies its own ink," said Umbridge. Harry could sense utter glee and anticipation rolling off of her. He wonder what ever would cause those emotions, at this time.

He began writing in red ink, and suddenly his hand hurt. He looked at the back of his hand, and saw the line of script had cut into his hand. He put the quill down.

"Something wrong, Mr. Potter?" asked Umbridge. "Why aren't you writing your lines?" She was primed to give him grief.

Harry's first response was to spike her, with the quill. It would have no trouble hitting her heart, but after a few seconds, he began thinking clearly. He really didn't want to leave Hogwarts, and he couldn't attack a professor, and stay.

"I am not going to write lines with a quill that cuts me," said Harry. "If you want, we can discuss it with Professor McGonagall, or Headmaster Dumbledore. Your class is no longer a requirement for me. Is there something else I can do for you, to complete this detention?"

"NO! Get out of my sight!" seethed Umbridge. "I'll take twenty points from Gryffindor instead."

Umbridge started stalking Harry, down the hallways, in the Great Hall, in the infirmary ... any where but the barns. Harry wrote Xavier to meet him in Hogsmeade at midnight. Harry left through Kaasaar's tunnel, and made his way to the Hogs Head Inn. Xavier was at a corner table.

"Hello Harry," said Xavier, "how can I help you?"

"Umbridge is interfering with my studies at Hogwarts," said Harry. "I have this pressing desire to drive her away from me. Actually, her death was the first thing that came to mind. I wish she would do something that would make me defend myself. Better yet, she could do something to make the Protector of Hogwarts get involved."

"Protector of Hogwarts?" asked Xavier.

"Yeah, Kaasaar, the basilisk," said Harry. "He protects students and the school."

"That would be interesting," said Xavier. "You just can't assassinate her, no matter how much short term satisfaction you might get from it. I suggest making her life truly miserable. She is known for her ability to irritate people into ... emotional responses. You have told me about the Weasley twins, and their ability to clandestinely aggravate people. Why don't you fund their efforts? Make it worth their time, say one hundred fifty galleons a month, plus expenses?"

"I like that idea," said Harry. "Can you set up an automatic deposit for me at Gringotts in their name? I know they will jump at the idea."

"I will set up three months in advance," said Xavier, "and five hundred for expenses. Tell them to itemize their expenses, and you can have Dobby run mail and material. That will carry through until the holidays, and using Dobby will be rapid, and completely untraceable. That might accelerate the elf's healing, anyway. I will have a vault key they can use."

"I meet with Dobby about three times a week," said Harry. "He gives me a different outlook on wandless magic. He has been at it for hundreds of years. I think he would like being a courier."

"Elves can be outstanding assistance," said Xavier. "They are under valued in our culture. Stupid, really."

"I remember reading that book by Dante," said Harry. "Umbridge will think she has gone to hell, by the time the Weasley twins are done. They are in their seventh year, and really would like an outlet for their creativity."

Harry spoke with Xavier for another half hour, and Xavier left. Harry flew for a while, and retired for the night. He was up early, and waiting in the common room for the twins.

"George, Fred," said Harry. "Got a minute?"

"Sure, Harry," said Fred. "What you have in mind?"

"Let's stop by your office," said Harry. "I think we need a little discretion." They filed out of the portrait entrance, and made their way to the twins' hole in the wall.

"How can we help you?" said George. "Advice for the ladies?"

"Umbridge has become ... unwelcome ... so to speak," said Harry. "I would like to hire your considerable talents to make her wish she had never come to Hogwarts. I am offering one hundred fifty galleons a month, plus expenses, for you to make her life hell on earth. Interested?"

"Oh Harry, old mate, old chap," said Fred. "It would be our immense pleasure."

"How long would you like hell on earth to remain?" asked George.

"Until she leaves," said Harry. "There might be a bonus for lingering, long suffering misery."

"She shall know misery," said Fred. "Anything else?"

"Yes," said Harry. "Her misery can not be public. She is the only one to know something is wrong. She is dangerous, guys. This isn't one of your normal pranks. If she finds out, or even thinks she knows, she will use her position with the Ministry. You understand, yeah?"

"We understand, generous benefactor," said Fred. "She is a trip to Azkaban for us, if we mess up. We are of age, and she IS Ministry."

The twins wasted no time. Their animagus forms, and their friends, Atch and Micha, were able to dose Umbridge in her quarters. Harry had told the twins long ago about the loo tunnels, and they used them well. Umbridge was the first professor they ever pranked in their own quarters. As much as they would have liked pranking Snape, the man was dangerous ... and they knew to stay out of his personal area.

It never occurred to Umbridge to ward her sanitary facilities. Often, Umbridge woke up with vivid nightmares, heart pounding. Other days, she had volcanic heartburn and diarrhea. She finally made an appointment to see Madam Pomfrey, who found nothing of consequence. Delores was always tired, and she was losing weight.

At the end of September, Hermione's worry over OWL practical gave her an idea, and she asked Harry how he knew so much about defense. He said Xavier and Sirius had helped him, when he asked. She asked if he would help them pass their OWL. She asked the older students which spells they needed to know to pass the OWL practical. Harry said he would help. Two nights a month would give them enough practice, if they would also practice on their own. They met in abandoned classrooms, where Harry went through all of the standard OWL spells, like protego, expelliarmus, contego, reducto, lacero. They only used stingers and harmless spells to test shields. Word was getting out, and students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were starting to show up. Their off hours training made through most of the term, without incident. It was actually a lot of fun, and they started meeting once a week. Some of the students would find an abandoned classroom, and play on their own, with shields and stingers.

Harry was really enjoying his time at St. Mungo's. Amy Rothchild was his trainer, and she told him children were the easiest to learn empathy with. Harry really enjoyed working with children. The children were infatuated with Harry. Harry could PLAY with them like no one else did, and they always felt better around him. It was the high point of his week, and he was able to schedule even more time, since he didn't have DADA on double days. DADA was the only useless class he had. Charms kept him busy. His extra transfiguration work had him well ahead of his peer group, so he helped with tutoring. The only pain he had, was Umbridge, and he avoided her like the plague, when at all possible.

In early October, Umbridge began having noisy, obnoxious flatulence, which started her wondering if she was being targeted. She had no idea how she was being attacked, if she was. When she started waking up in the middle of the night, as a LARGE toad, for up to half an hour, she knew she was being targeted. Soon there after, she went rolling down the stairs. Occasionally, she tripped in the hallways, with no one in sight. She was starting to get jumpy.

She decided she had enough. Someone wanted her gone. This was war.

In the middle of October, Umbridge had Fudge create a position for her, High Inquisitor, which had authority to review Ministry proscribed teaching standards, and control of extra-circular activity. She tightened curfew and library hours. She had no idea how her enemies were getting to her. Her quarters were tripled warded. She tested ALL of her food. She adopted an attitude of 'Stiff Upper Lip', and trudged on, trying to trip up Dumbledore and Potter.

Both of them, Dumbledore and Potter, were nearly impossible to goad. She decided to foment dissension in the staff. She started giving class room inspections, as part of her duties as High Inquisitor, ostensibly to document adherence to Ministry education guidelines. Umbridge couldn't stand what she called half-breeds, and she jumped Hagrid first. He was easy to fluster, and she was able to get Hagrid sacked. Hagrid took off for parts unknown. His teaching post was relatively easy to fill, and Sirius took over as Grounds Keeper, which included the barns and fields.

She thought her next victim should be Sybil Trelawny, the divination professor. She had few, if any, reliable predictions of any known events. Her case was relatively easy to build, and she sacked Sybil. Dumbledore was able to keep the divination professor living at the school, since he said he was able to house any consultant he saw fit to keep at the school, for educational purposes. Dumbledore knew Umbridge loathed what she called half breed creatures, and filled the divination post with a centaur named Firenze. She doubled her effort, with bags under her eyes. The twins were not letting her get much rest.

She attacked the McGonagall with fervor, but McGonagall stiff armed Umbridge rather effectively. Minerva did not fluster easily, and it would take someone she held in high esteem to do it. Umbridge did not make the grade.

Umbridge attacked what she thought was Dumbledore's pet death eater next. She thought it was amazing how Dumbledore had been able to keep him out of prison. She thought if she could get a third teacher sacked, the rest would abandon Dumbledore, and produce something she could use to get him sacked. She couldn't sack him personally, but Fudge could, with the approval of the Board of Governors ...easily obtained. Snape barely acknowledged her presence in his classroom. Snape had quiet sarcasm and disdain mastered, well enough to call it an art form. Umbridge was good, but not that good.

By the end of October, she was able to strike a blow at Harry. Traditionally, no students of the Healing Arts ever went to St. Mungo's as interns, until after their OWL. Dumbledore had been able to get an exception for Harry, but Umbridge used her power in the Ministry to get the hospital administrator to revoke it. Harry took a LONG flight in the woods. He went deep into the woods daily, using life size Umbridge targets for archery practice.

In late November, Umbridge finally found out abut the after hours DADA study group, which the students were calling defense arts, DA, for short. They thought it was the only real DADA class work they had, but DADA meant Umbridge, and DA meant a real study. They voiced their opinion of what they thought of Umbridge's class rather loudly.

Umbridge blew it all out of proportion, and said the DA stood for Dumbledore's Army. In a rare moment of political stupidity, Dumbledore said he thought calling the study group, Dumbledore's Army, was quite the honor.

Fudge, accompanied by four aurors, personally sacked Dumbledore, for creating an insurgent group of students, called Dumbledore's Army. Dumbledore, and his phoenix, took off for parts unknown.

The phoenix took him to Minerva's quarters. "Minerva," he said. "I've been sacked. I don't care for myself, nearly as much as I do for the school. I am fed up with Ministry interference. Hogwarts is the PREMIER school of magic in the world. They will give you control of the school, now that I am gone."

"Oh Albus," said Minerva, "what have you done? You know I don't want the job."

"It won't be for long," said Albus. "There is trouble coming, and the Ministry won't be concerned with the school much longer. I will lead them away from here. Voldemort ... well, he is alive again."

"I know," said Minerva. "I had this whole act dreamed up, for when you told me, and now I just can't do it. Harry told me."

"I don't think he will be active for a while yet," said Albus. "His network is shattered, and he will rebuild. I told the Ministry, and they blew me off. Besides, now I will have time to get the old crowd up to speed. Will you join the Order now, Minerva?"

"You know I will, you dear old fool," she said.

"Keep an eye out, for Harry," said Albus. "I know how fond you have been, down through the years, of your animagus students. I've tried to keep him safe, but it doesn't always work out. I ... better go now. The Ministry won't find me, until I am ready to be found. I will keep in touch." He grabbed some tail feathers, and he was gone.

Fudge was beyond proud of himself, for the charge of sedition. He doubted he could make it stick, but it was the first nail in Dumbledore's coffin. He made Delores Umbridge acting Headmistress, until the Board of Governors could choose a permanent Headmaster.

The day after Dumbledore left, Umbridge jumped Harry in the Great Hall. She was going to take great pleasure, making Harry Potter grovel. Harry Potter was beyond angry. He just couldn't take Umbridge any more, and he knew he had to go. She was in charge of the school.

"You will make a public apology right now," said Umbridge. "You cheated during the Tri-wizard Tournament, and Dumbledore can't help you. He is GONE! You will disband your illegal dueling club."

"I did NOT cheat," said Harry. "I will NOT make an apology for something I did not do. A study group is not a dueling club."

"You will be expelled, if you don't apologize," said Umbridge. "I won't take any insubordination from you. I can't snap your wand, since you have three ill-gotten NEWTs. You will be forced from Hogwarts."

"Expel me," said Harry, as he walked out the door.

"Harry Potter is hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," yelled Umbridge.

Harry walked out of the front gates, and down the road to Hogsmeade. Minerva McGonagall watched him go, and she could have bit nails to spit tacks. He disappeared into the Forest as soon as he cleared sight of the castle.

"Dobby," Harry whispered, snapping his fingers. Dobby was by his side instantly. "Please take my stuff to my workshop in the Chamber. I don't want Umbridge to have access to it." Dobby disappeared.

He went through Kaasaar's tunnel, and took the form of a house cat. He found Ginny in bed, crying her eyes out. "Ginny," he said silently. "It's OK. I will be in and out of here often, since I don't think Umbridge, or any other faculty member for that matter, knows how to keep me out. I will see you during the holidays also. I am not leaving you alone, with her in Hogwarts. Umbridge has it out for me, and I really couldn't stay much longer, anyway. I keep imagining various object impaling her."

"Couldn't happen to a nicer person, Harry," said Ginny, with sniffles. "She really buggered you."

"Keep your head down, and take care of your self," said Harry. "I am not going to forget Umbridge. I will see you in a few days. I am going home for a while. Tell Hermione and Luna I am OK. Tell the twins not to do something stupid, because they still have work to do. They will know why. Sirius will give me a room, no problem. Besides, I like living in the woods, and I don't do much of that any more."

Harry left for Sirius' house in Hogsmeade, and took the floo home. He left his belongings in the Chamber.

Fudge was livid. "You expelled Potter! Why ever would you do something like that?"

"He wouldn't listen to me," said Delores. "You told me to discredit Dumbledore and his wonder boy."

"Potter wasn't a danger," said Fudge. "You got rid of Dumbledore. The Prophet will eat me alive over the Potter boy."

"Potter was leading an illegal dueling club," said Umbridge. "I had to expel him. Can you imagine what he might have done next term? This will put him in his place, uppity half-blood. Besides, the boy is a bird brain. He should have been in Ravenclaw. He lives to study, and wants be a healer. All you have to do is offer him a way to return to Hogwarts, and he will eat seed from your hand, Minister. Tell him you will use your influence, that, in this case, I over reacted. You will suggest I give him another chance. He will be overjoyed."

"I like that idea," said Fudge. "Send out an invitation to Potter and his guardian. I want them here tomorrow. I want him back in Hogwarts before the Express takes the students home for Christmas."

"Yes, Minister," said Umbridge. "As you wish."

The next day didn't play out like Fudge wanted. Xavier Figg entered Fudge's office.

"Where is your ward?" asked Fudge. "I want to explore ways he can return to Hogwarts. I know he is near the top of his year, academically. It would be a shame to see such talent wasted."

"My ward was emancipated by the Tri-wizard Tournament," said Xavier. "He was most irritated when he returned home. He said he was taking a vacation, and wasn't exactly sure where he wanted to go. His trust vault will keep him well supplied until he comes of age for his complete inheritance. It had enough in it to fund the rest of his Hogwarts tuition, and then some."

There was a tic in Fudge's eye. The Prophet was having a field day with Potter's expulsion, and he wanted to nip it in the bud. "Tri-wizard Champion Expelled From Hogwarts" was the banner for page one this morning. Dumbledore still had a lot of popular support, and the Boy Who Lived was an icon of the wizarding world.

"Do what you can to find him," said Fudge. "The boy needs to be in school. Tell him I want to talk to him."

"I will do my best, Minister," said Xavier. Xavier knew Harry wouldn't return, as long as Umbridge was there.

Two days after Harry was expelled, Voldemort and a small team struck the Department of Mysteries. He retrieved his prophecy, but he was not able to escape the Ministry of Magic, before he was seen by several members, including Minister Fudge. He killed a seasoned auror, Hestia Jones, who had been guarding the hall way to the Department of Mysteries that night.

Voldemort laughed, holding a rock hard shield, "I have the prophecy! Harry Potter was supposed to be able to vanquish me ... and he did ... for a while. The prophecy is over, and you will not stop me. You expelled him from Hogwarts! I am the greatest wizard that has ever lived! I will chase the school boy down, and torture him for months! His arse is mine. MINE!" Voldemort was laughing maniacally as he disappeared. People were too stunned to react.

Fudge just sat down on the floor. The old man was right. He's back.

The younger aurors had heard department rumors, and they fed the Prophet. Aurors had been getting the run around for months. The Daily Prophet tore Fudge a new arse. "Dumbledore Cautioned Fudge About Death Eaters." "Dumbledore Told Students Truth." "You Know Who Promises To Kill Boy Who Lived." "Death Eaters Active at Tri-wizard Tournament." "Boy of Prophecy Expelled." "Potter Can't Be Located." "Can Potter Do It Again?"

The Prophet was going to tear Fudge apart, piece by little piece.

Fudge recalled Umbridge. He needed her desperately at the Ministry. He had Bones assign a young auror in her place. Any body, he didn't care ... someone unimportant. He was scrambling to keep his job, and prepare for war. "Delores," he said, "You-Know-Who said Potter was the boy in the prophecy he stole from the Department of Mysteries. Do everything you can to bring the Potter boy in to the Ministry. We are going to train him with Hit Wizards. Expelling him was the worst thing that could have happened. Now, we can't find him."

"Harry, you can't go back to school," said Xavier. "You can't stay in one spot, for any length of the time. Both Voldemort and the Ministry want you badly. Aurors have been here, twice. You are the poster boy for the war. Voldemort will have spies in place at Hogwarts. You are emancipated, and independently wealthy. Once Voldemort is stopped, you can continue what ever you want to do, with independent study, regardless of your age. Hogwarts primary job is to qualify wizards and witches, and you are qualified, according to the ICWW. I will continue to give you any assistance I can."

"I appreciate that," said Harry. "I am going back to the woods. I will keep in contact, and go see the Flamels. I am going to let Ginny keep my owl. I don't need an owl right now, if ever again. What do you think is the first thing I need to learn?"

"Apparition, hands down," said Xavier. "You haven't needed it before, but you do now. I should have already taught you. You have to stay off the floo network. I know the Ministry requires a license to apparate, but that is just to prove minimum safety requirements. They don't want people splinching themselves. That is a difficult death to explain, when the Ministry is supposed to have public safety in mind. They fine people heavily who splinch themselves."

"I will start working on apparition then," said Harry. "Sirius will give me pointers, if I stop there for any length of time. I will see you here, around the holidays. I just need a break, for a while. I am target number one."

"Watch your self, Harry," said Xavier. Harry left.

Dumbledore was re-instated as headmaster immediately. He floo called Xavier. "Harry's expulsion has been overturned," he said. "Send Harry back."

"I can't, Albus," said Xavier. "He is gone. He said he is going back to the woods. He didn't say when ... or even if, he is coming back. If Harry wants to stay gone, he will stay gone. You know how hard it is to find a kneazle, when it wants to disappear."

This was Dumbledore's worst nightmare. He knew Umbridge was out for his head, but he didn't dream she would expel Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived was a larger than life celebrity, especially after the damned tournament. Harry had gone back to the animal kingdom, where he knew he was safe. The kneazle had gone to ground.

The British wizarding world had just turned upside down.


	19. Chapter 19 The Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 19 The Order of the Phoenix

There was an old, dark, foreboding house in London, called Grimauld Place, owned by the Black family for years. Grim old place was the right description. Two wars had decimated the Black family, and Sirius Black was the sole owner. He had spent his early years there, and there were few fond memories. If his parents had been better organized, he would have been disinherited, but they weren't. Albus Dumbledore asked him if he had a secure place to hold meetings for The Order of the Phoenix, and Sirius said he could use the old house in London as long as he wanted. He had little desire to return there, otherwise.

The Order was founded centuries ago, with the sole intent of stopping the rise of self-styled dark lords. Every fifty to a hundred years, some witch or wizard would decide they should rule by force ... because they could. The leader of the Order always found a successor, to carry on, and keep watch for the inevitable. Albus Dumbledore was the current leader, and he had been, for sixty years. Their numbers had never been large, but they had always been supported by the old families. It was essential that the old families maintain peace, and stability. The last two wars had nearly eradicated those families. The old families were barely able to maintain their essential civic function ... the protection of their way of life. The Wizengamut was the primary system to maintain civility, and the Order of the Phoenix was a stop gap organization to neutralize dangerous mavericks. The leader of the Order was usually a very powerful wizard.

Dumbledore called the first meeting at Grimauld Place to order. "Welcome friends, and thank you for coming. I am truly sorry to say that Voldemort has started to move among us again. Hestia Jones was one of a few Ministry people, in our Order, guarding the prophecies of the Ministry. The state of the Ministry has fallen into such disrepair, that nearly anyone can come in at night, let alone Voldemort. It was our hope that the person on watch would be able to sound the alarm, but Hestia was murdered before she could let us know. Voldemort has the prophecy, concerning him, and one other."

There were murmurs of "Bloody this," and "Dark Wanker that, " and such. The noise died down.

Dumbledore continued, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...."

"Are we sure of who the prophecy speaks about?" asked retired auror Moody.

"That child of prophecy, is Harry Potter," said Dumbledore. "I am sure all of you have read in the Prophet that Voldemort has vowed to kill him. What you may not know, is that the Ministry wants him just as badly ... to fight Voldemort. They want him on a Hit team. I think he needs to be back in school. He is not prepared for fighting. He is fifteen years old, and studying to be a healer. The prophecy speaks of a 'Power he knows not'. Voldemort studied far and wide. The only power I can think of that he knows nothing about, is love, the behavior of putting another's interests before one's own ... even at the cost of one's own interests. The boy is too young, to know the ramifications of personal sacrifice, for the greater good."

"Well, why isn't he back in school!" exclaimed Molly Weasley. "My daughter wrote me as soon as that foul woman expelled him."

"The expulsion has been overturned," said Dumbledore, "but Harry has disappeared. He was given full rights to use magic, for his selection in the Tri-wizard Tournament. His trust vault is far from empty, and he has barely used it. No one knows where he is. Our first task is to find him, and see him back in school, safe at Hogwarts. Severus, what have you heard?"

"Nothing," said Snape. "I wasn't informed of the raid on the Ministry, and all the Dark Lord wants from me, is potions. He is still building his physical strength, following his resurrection. He was bold enough to lead three others into the Ministry, but he really wasn't ready for a fight ... not that he would discuss his actual health. He wants to be informed, as soon as Potter returns to Hogwarts. He will start recruiting again, and his methods leave few alternatives. He may have a dozen marked death eaters, at this time. As you remember, they primarily act as his command staff."

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "The Ministry has issued a "Kill On Sight" order, for Voldemort, but not for his death eaters. They want them for questioning, and incarceration in Azkaban, if necessary. I want response teams set up to assist the families Voldemort will attack. Alistor, I want you to assemble teams. Let's keep our people safe. The Ministry is woefully ill prepared for this. Voldemort was much more bold than I anticipated, to have raided the Ministry this soon."

"Will we kill death eaters on sight?" asked Xavier.

"No, of course not," said Dumbledore. "We won't sink to their level. Grindelwald was incarcerated in Europe, and died a few years later, in captivity. We will do the same with Voldemort."

"The Ministry had kill orders for death eaters last time," said Moody. "What is different now?"

"You know how many of the old family members were released, for having been under the imperious curse," said Dumbledore. "The Ministry wants death eaters brought in for trial. I believe most of Voldemort's ... minions ... can be returned to society, as useful members. They just need to see the error of their ways."

"Imperious curse, my arse," said Sirius. "Pettigrew wasn't under the imperious, and neither were any others. We know the Ministry can't question anyone properly. We have the best Ministry money can buy." No one said anything, for several moments.

"Be that as it may," said Dumbledore, "we will not purposely curse to kill. We will take prisoners, and make every effort to see they are properly interrogated. I will let you know when the next meeting is, as the need arises. Molly, Arthur, may I see both of you for a moment?"

"Yes, of course," said Arthur. "How may we help?"

"It has come to my attention that Harry is very fond of your daughter," said Albus. " There is an issue that complicates us finding him. He is an animagus ... a kneazle, with green eyes. Molly, you know the dedication the kneazles show your Aunt Arabella. I believe it is possible Harry is showing the same dedication, to your daughter. Have you seen a green eyed kneazle around your property?"

"Oh, my," said Molly. "That young kneazle has been coming to our house for years, since Ginny started school at my Aunt's family compound. Are you saying that kneazle is Harry?"

"Molly, " said Dumbledore, "the boy spent eight years as a kneazle ... practically all of his pre-teen years ... before coming to Hogwarts. Desire to go to Hogwarts brought him back to our world, and now ... the Ministry pulled it out from under him. He could leave, and easily not come back. I fear the young man is more kneazle, than human. I searched for him for four years, with more than a little help ... and could not find him."

"That doesn't sound like the lad I know," said Arthur Weasley. "He wants to work on a project with me."

"Oh, he fits seamlessly in our world," said Dumbledore, "if a bit quietly. I have watched him, since he came to Hogwarts. He doesn't really act like his classmates. On the surface, he is an unusually quiet, mature young man, but if you pay close attention to the behavior of kneazles, one may see those traits in Harry."

"Won't Ginny be surprised," said Arthur, "to find out Harry is Green Eyes."

"Oh, I think she knows," said Albus, " and she has for some time. She has been working with Minerva, studying transfiguration, to become an animagus." Albus knew she had been a cat for a while, but he wasn't quite willing to drop that bomb on her parents.

"She hasn't said a word," said Molly, developing color in her cheeks. "Wait until that girl gets home. I ..."

"Molly," said Albus, "I won't try to tell you how to raise your children, but ... please, treat this matter delicately. What ever you do, don't drive the boy away."

"We will be careful," said Arthur. "He is a nice lad."

That nice lad was currently winging his way east, across the English Channel, with thoughts of Voldemort on his mind. He had to take the fight to Voldemort, and it would take some ... planning. It was a bit chilly, and he was in no hurry. He made it to the Flamel's property in the early evening, touching down in the court yard. He was met by Kerry.

"I see Mr. Potter has returned," said Kerry. "Will you be staying for a while? Master Flamel is in his laboratory, and has left instructions not to be disturbed. Mistress Flamel is in the gardens. I have been informed you have the freedom to walk any where you would go. May I get you some thing to eat?"

"No, thanks," said Harry. "I am not hungry now. I will be staying for a while, though. I am going to find Mrs. Flamel." He started walking toward the gardens. He found Perenelle kneeling in front of a small shrine, crying gently.

"Revered Mother," said Harry, in the way kneazles treated the retired alphas, "I feel your pain. How may I help?"

Perenelle glanced up at Harry. "Please, excuse an old woman her memories," she said. "I have never been able to get over the loss of our family."

"I understand," said Harry, as he knelt by her side. And he did, really. The two empaths were able to communicate completely. "Please, tell me what happened."

"Oh, Harry," she cried, "that vile creature sent his death eaters into the village at night, and killed nearly all of our descendants, even the children. My son, my daughters ... babies ... everyone. We were targeted. It was eighteen years ago, tomorrow, that he came. Half of the village ..." She was crying again. Harry put his arm around her shoulders, and shared her pain for the next hour. Later, they walked into the house, where Kerry brought refreshments.

"He must be stopped," said Harry. "I will do what I can, to remove them, as I would any of our enemies. Kneazles do not suffer that sort of threat to live. It is beyond stupid, to do so. They destroyed your family. They destroyed my human family, in the same way."

"Don't get yourself hurt on my account," said Perenelle. "I don't know that I could stand much more. My family beat him back, at great cost."

"He attacked my family," said Harry. "If that wasn't enough, he has sworn to kill me. There is no choice. I have been expelled from school. Now ... I hunt."

"You shouldn't quit school, Harry," said Perenelle. "You need school."

"I would have postponed school anyway," said Harry, "after he vowed to kill me. There really is no other rational option. Learning history, household charms, and basic transfiguration is not going to protect me. Xavier said I can always go back to school. There is a lot I want to study, especially healing, but not now. By all accounts, the worst evil wizard in a hundred years wants me dead."

"You know my Nicolas, and I, will help you anyway we can," said Perenelle. Harry did know. There were no misconceptions. Harry retired to his rooms a few hours later.

Harry met the old couple in the sun room, for breakfast. "Young man," said Nicolas, "I understand you have declared blood feud on the death eaters."

"You could say that," said Harry. "They must die, since they won't stop coming for me. They destroyed my family. They destroyed your family."

"I will join your blood feud," said Nicolas. "I can not fight, but ... I am not without means to help. How can I help you most?"

"Xavier said I should learn apparition," said Harry. "That is the first thing I want to learn. Xavier will teach me, and so will Sirius."

"I know a very good teacher, in the village," said Nicolas. "He can be here tomorrow, I am sure, if I ask. Is there any further way I can help?"

"I need a way to track death eaters," said Harry. "The only job I have now, other than learning magic, is hunting Voldemort and his death eaters."

"Can you do that alone?" asked Perenelle.

"Yes," said Harry. "I have been hunting most of my life. I just don't know how effective I will be yet, hunting specific people, that are hunting for me."

"I know he signals them through a mark on their left arm," said Nicolas. "There should be a way to track that mark, similar to how an owl tracks a mail recipient. If Voldemort can contact them, other means can follow the same trace. I just need one of the marks, to study. It is probably a modified protean charm, attached to the ethereal body."

"Do you need the whole death eater?" asked Harry, " or just the mark."

"I need at least the arm," said Nicolas. "I must have it as soon as possible, if the death eater is not alive. The ethereal energy will dissipate in about two to four days time, otherwise. The energy will stay, as long as the hair and finger nails grow. I have no compassion for death eaters. None."

"You will have one, at my first opportunity," said Harry. "Last time I was here, you said you had some more tests to run on my scar?"

"Yes, a few," said Nicolas. "We will do that after breakfast. I read about your expulsion from Hogwarts, in the Daily Prophet. How did that happen?"

"I watched Professor Umbridge systematically attack Dumbledore, the staff, and me, last term," said Harry. "Xavier has been teaching me about civics, and politics. It looks like it was politically motivated, and she took great pleasure in the attacks. She seldom missed an opportunity. The Ministry must have thought my celebrity status would aid Dumbledore. He was attacked often, in the Prophet. It was difficult, since I didn't know a way to defend my self, and killing her didn't seem to be a good option. The Ministry would just send more people ... and they would have come in force. I couldn't stay in school any way, if I did that. The Ministry has also become my enemy, but not quite in the same way as Voldemort. Xavier is still teaching me how to deal with politics. I know what I need to do, for now, with Voldemort."

"You don't sound much like a fifteen year old," said Nicolas. "If I didn't know better, I would say you are at least twice that."

"That estimate probably isn't far off," said Perenelle. "I discovered his maturity last time he was here, working on his empathy. He is a student, but he's no child. All empaths mature faster, because they read the people around them. They get a huge dose of reality."

Harry spent most of the day with Nicolas, in his laboratory. The next morning, Harry started his apparition training. Nicolas introduced Harry to Heinrich Kuinnick.

"I have been teaching apparition, among other things, for several years," said Kuinnick. "It is essential that you visualize the entire process. You must know where you are going. You must see your entire self, and what ever you are taking with you, transferring to that location. Lastly, you must resolve to make the move. There is no particular wand movement, as this is practically internal magic. People use the wand, for a trigger, so to speak. Many people just make a small twist of the wand hand. Have you ever apparated with anyone else, before today?"

"No," said Harry. "I have always taken the floo, or a portkey."

"Hold my arm," said Kuinnick. "I want to show you what it feels like. We don't want any surprises and distractions." They apparated several yards, five different times.

Harry was paying strict attention. Two days of intensive training gave him the ability to apparate. It really wasn't that difficult ... most of the wizarding world did it, unless they had a deep aversion to the way it made them feel. Harry immediately made the decision to learn to apparate wandlessly, since he would not need the wand, for the trigger event. He was already using wandless magic. He spent a week with the Flamels, before flying back to Ottery St. Catchpole. He spent the night with his family, and went to see Ginny the next day. She was home for the holidays. He had spent more time at the Flamels, than he had anticipated. He saw Ginny going back to the house from the chicken coop.

"Harry!" she said silently. "I've been so worried. How have you been?" The kneazle was close at her heels.

"I'm OK," said Harry. "I have been training. The paper said I have been reinstated at Hogwarts. I am not going, yet. I can't stay where everyone knows my location. That doesn't feel right. I have too many enemies."

"The Ministry wants you badly," said Ginny. "Mum and Dad are even acting strange. She asked me if I have seen you. That isn't like her. She knows you were expelled. I told her myself, not that it hasn't been all over the paper."

Harry followed Ginny into the house, and laid down near the fire place like he usually did. Molly met Ginny at the archway, between the living room and the kitchen. "Thanks for getting the eggs, dear," said Molly. "Go get cleaned up, and you can help with ...." Molly had seen the kneazle by the fire place.

"Ginny, please come in the kitchen," said Molly. "You too ... Harry." Harry was on his feet instantly, and watching Molly closely.

"Mum?" said Ginny worriedly.

"Care for some juice, Harry?" asked Molly. Harry could sense some uncertainty, mixed with caution. It didn't feel good. This felt like ... some sort of dead end, with only one way out. He thought about running, but transformed instead. He knew the Weasleys, and had been here often. He could always run.

Harry walked over to the table, and sat down. Ginny sat down beside him.

"Albus told me about you, Harry," said Molly. "He is very concerned for your safety. He wants you back in school, and he will fight the Ministry, so you can stay in school. He is the Supreme Mugwump, after all."

"When did he tell you, Mum?" asked Ginny. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Molly sat down at the table also. "Ginny, when I first heard about you and Harry, I ... well, I thought about reading you the riot act," said Molly. "I had a few days before you got home, and that took the edge off. You never told me about Harry, and you never told me about learning to be an animagus, with Professor McGonagall."

Ginny was paying close attention, as was Harry. "Harry wasn't my secret to tell, Mum," said Ginny. "I didn't want to worry you, about the animagus training. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh, it was a surprise, all right," said Molly. "Can I see?"

Ginny made the transformation.

"I fed you creme and left over eggs," said Molly. "I thought you were a stray. Ginny, that was a long time ago."

"Yes Mum," said Ginny. She was waiting for the explosion, but it didn't come.

"We will have a long discussion, later," said Molly. "Harry, will you talk to Professor Dumbledore?"

"Maybe," said Harry. "I am not going back to school yet. Too many people want me. I am safer at home, with my family."

"I am sure Xavier would like you to go to Hogwarts," said Molly.

"He is not family," said Harry. "He was my guardian, for a while, but now I am a fully qualified wizard."

"Well, who is your ..... family," said Molly, as understanding dawned.

"I think you know," said Harry. He was sure of it.

"Harry, dear, you are human," said Molly. Molly was struggling internally, and Harry watched her. He was pleased she was trying so valiantly.

"I know what I am," said Harry. "and you know."

"Would you mind if I contact Professor Dumbledore?" asked Molly.

"OK," said Harry, with some reservation. Today wasn't turning out like he wanted.

Molly went to the floo, and called. Dumbledore came through immediately.

"Harry, my boy," said Dumbledore. "I am so happy to see you. Are you ready to return to Hogwarts after the holiday?"

"No sir," said Harry. "I will be staying with my family. Too many people are after me, for me to go to Hogwarts. You know what is happening."

"Harry, I must insist," said Dumbledore. "There is no safer place, than Hogwarts."

"No sir," said Harry. "You couldn't stop the Ministry before. Why would you be able to, now? I think you will try to force me to go with you. Is this correct?"

"Harry, I don't want it to come to that," said Dumbledore, "but I really must insist. I am truly only interested in your safety." Harry could tell that was a valid statement.

"I won't be going back with you," said Harry, visualizing his destination.

"Then, you leave me little choice," said Dumbledore, reaching for his wand. Dumbledore was one of the fastest casters in the world. A simple stupefy, and he could talk to Harry at length, at the castle. Harry had to be safe, and he wasn't safe out here alone. He would get Sirius involved. They could make him see reason.

Harry knew Dumbledore was reaching for the wand, well before his hand moved. Harry apparated out in front of the house. He took off running, disillusioned himself, transformed, and took flight. He was just ... gone ... in a matter of seconds. Ginny ran from the room, crying.

"Albus Dumbledore," said Molly, voice trembling with anger, "just how does that constitute not driving that child off!"

Dumbledore just looked at his feet. "Harry said he ran from Voldemort," said Albus. "I guess he just showed me how it is done."

Dumbledore took out his wand. "Point me Harry Potter," he said. His wand didn't move. A very disappointed Albus Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts.

Harry was flying hard, headed home. He was ... infuriated. Now, Dumbledore would be looking for him at home. Well, let him look. It didn't take long for Harry to fly a few miles. He heard one of his brothers sound the alarm, and he listened as it was relayed to the elves. An elf would be on his way to Xavier. Harry's day wasn't going well, at all. Harry found his brother quickly.

"Two men came down the river," said his brother, watching from a tree. Harry watched them. One was casting, while the other stood watch.

"I am going to the house," said Harry. "Xavier will be on his way."

Harry met Xavier in the ward room. "We wouldn't have caught this attack yet, if it hadn't been for the warning from the kneazles. Who ever is attacking the perimeter wards, they are good. It looks like a minor disturbance."

"They are down by the river," said Harry. "One works, while the other watches. My family can take them, if you want. Father is on the way, probably coming pretty fast. He will be there, before we are. All the kneazles, who can fight, are on the move."

"Anyone attacking manor wards is not making a social call," said Xavier. "I have to decide if I want to ask questions, or get the Ministry involved. It is likely they are after you, since two ... well three groups want you. Voldemort, the Ministry, and the Order."

"Yeah, Dumbledore tried to take me back to Hogwarts earlier," said Harry. "I was just on my way back, when I heard the signal."

"What?" said Xavier. "I didn't hear anything about that."

"I was at the Burrow," said Harry. "Molly called Dumbledore, and we spoke. He wants me back at Hogwarts, but I declined his offer. He started for his wand, so ... I left."

"Let's worry about these two intruders now," said Xavier. "They probably plan to sneak up to the out buildings, and watch the manor. They will scout around, or hope for a moment of opportunity. Maybe bring others back. Show me where they are. We will use these matched brooms ... special made for stealth, not maneuverability. They are warded to disillusion the quiet rider. If the stealth wards overlap, we can see each other, and talk, with no one the wiser. The wards extend about six feet, and these brooms are not easy to come by. They have served me well."

Harry and Xavier went straight to the river, and then followed it up stream, to a parked row boat. Harry led Xavier into the woods. He started pointing to kneazles, hidden behind clumps of bush and among the branches of trees. Once Xavier saw them, they seemed to just appear, even though nothing had changed.

"The guard is a man named Avery," said Xavier. "He is one of the so-called death eaters forced into service last time. I don't recognize the other. Professional curse breaker, most likely. We kill Avery, and talk to the other one ... mess him up a bit. Find out if he is a death eater. Death eaters don't get to attack my home."

"Avery is a marked death eater?" asked Harry.

"Yeah," said Xavier. "There was a big trial, and the mark can't be removed."

"I need the mark, for Nicolas to test," said Harry.

"It's yours," said Xavier. "Any ideas on how to use your family, to take these killers down?"

"I will talk to Father," said Harry. "I can take Avery, from the air. He won't know what hit him. We know these guys can hurt us, and we won't give them the chance. You will be able to talk to the other one, shortly." Harry left, parked the broom, and took kneazle form. He quickly reached his father, and discussed what Xavier wanted.

The kneazles crept into position. When they were ready, Harry disillusioned, and took to the air in his largest form. Silent death took Avery completely unaware. Eight kneazles hit the other one, and his wand went flying. Claws dug into his clothing, at least one kneazle per limb, the legs had two. Harry ripped the dead man's arm off at the shoulder. All the curse breaker saw, was a fuzzy, shimmering shape tear off Avery's arm. The breaker knew enough not to move.

Xavier parked his broom, and walked up to the terrified man. "Stupid, to attack my wards," he said. "Two years, in Azkaban, you know. Dementor city."

"I didn't set off any alarms," said the curse breaker. "I know I didn't. No one said anything about bloody cats. Avery paid good, but not that good."

"Can you think of a good enough reason for your life to be spared?" asked Xavier. "Avery is a known killer."

"You can't kill me!" said the man. "It's against the law. He said he was a burglar. He just paid me to get him inside. You have to turn me in."

"You attack my wards," said Xavier moving with obvious agitation. "You attack my family, and tell ME to turn you in? After what death eaters DID TO MY FAMILY!!!" The kneazles growled, deep in their throats. "Are you a death eater? Let me see your arm."

"Can I see this arm?" Xavier asked the kneazle quietly. Harry's brother let the lightly bleeding arm go. Xavier cut the material up to the shoulder. There was no mark.

"Get off my property," said Xavier. "You attack my property again, you die. Take this dead piece of shite with you. Turn me in to the aurors if you like, and explain to them why you want to go to Azkaban. I am protecting my home. The only reason you are alive, is that you are not marked. Spread the word among your brethren, to stay away. I won't be so generous to the next breaker to attack my wards. I don't want to take the time to prosecute you. DON'T come back." Xavier used his wand to throw the curse breaker and the dead man into the boat. He threw the man's wand into the end of the boat, and gave the boat a shove down the river.

"I won't, I won't," said the babbling man, "you won't see me again. Never coming back. Bloody ward cats."

Harry apparated to the coast, where he usually stopped in the trees to rest. He took large form, and flew to a woods in Belgium. He apparated the rest of the way to the Flamel's property. He handed the package to Nicolas. He stayed for a meal, and returned to England.

Meanwhile, Xavier floo called Albus.

"Albus," said Xavier. "The cats caught Avery and a curse breaker attacking my wards. Avery didn't make it, and the breaker was just hired for entry. Never even asked the breaker for his name. I sent both of them on down the river. I don't feel like dealing with the Ministry. They have already came by twice, looking for Harry, and I don't want to give them any reason to come back. They can make my life ... complicated, trying to get Harry."

"It is regrettable Avery died," said Albus. "We might have been able to learn something of Voldemort's plans. Do you know where Harry is? I am afraid I frightened the boy at Arthur's house. Molly called me, and said Harry was visiting Ginny. I asked Harry to come to Hogwarts, and he refused."

"Harry is not here," said Xavier. "I reviewed the wards moments ago. I can't tell him I recommend he go to Hogwarts. It is too open to the public. Voldemort had to be the one that sent Avery. Harry is no longer my ward, but I will help him all I can."

"I am afraid I pushed a little hard," said Albus. "I didn't anticipate his apparition. Did you teach him that?"

"No," said Xavier, "but I am glad he knows. It isn't all that difficult to do, especially for short distances. Practically every wizard in the world can apparate. My original plan was to teach him next summer, then the bloody tournament emancipated him early. Not that I mind, he is a good kid. Good head on his shoulders."

"It is vital Harry is protected," said Albus. "I want him in school."

"I protect Harry," said Xavier, "as much as any member of my family. I won't give him orders, he is emancipated. Hell, he wasn't my ward long enough for me to give him orders. He actually lives ... lived ... at Hogwarts, for most of the time I have known him. He has been in your jurisdiction, as a student. What have you been teaching him? As Head of House Figg, I will give him suggestions, but the choices are his. He is the legal Head of House Potter, in less than two years. He was supposed to be at Hogwarts, until well after he gains his majority. The only thing he doesn't have now, is the property and seat in the Wizengamut. They are held in legal trust, until he is seventeen. I would help any kid in his position."

"I don't know what to do now, to get him back," said Albus. "I was hoping he could talk to Sirius, they seem to get along pretty well."

"I wouldn't push him," said Xavier. "You know he grew up kneazle. I don't know of any kneazles likely to stand getting pushed. Shag with the bull, get the horns."

"Yes, that worries, more than you can know," said Albus. "I will inform you, if any thing comes of Avery's attack. I am glad you and your family are safe. I have another meeting, in five minutes. Thanks for keeping me updated."

Four hours later, Harry was back in Ottery St. Catchpole. He stayed disillusioned, and visited Ginny's. She was in her room, and he knocked on the window. She didn't see anything, but she opened the window to look.

"Hi Ginny," said Harry, becoming visible. "Guess I am going to have to hide now."

"I had a long talk with Mum," said Ginny. "She wasn't too chuffed with Dumbledore. She might not call Dumbledore again, if you come back. When did you learn to apparate? That takes a license, you know."

"Just recently," said Harry. "Xavier said the Ministry won't really do anything if I don't get splinched, and don't make a spectacle of my self. I wasn't going with Dumbledore, and I sure didn't want to see a fight in your kitchen. No reason to fight him, anyway. He is just another person for me to avoid. So, how did your mum take your cat form?"

"She had a hard time with when I did it," said Ginny, "but she said it is done, and over. She looked at me real close, and asked if I am doing anything else that dangerous. I told her no. Really, I'm not. She doesn't know about Ron and the twins, and I didn't tell her. I am going to talk to Ron, to suggest he break it to her slowly, and soon."

"How would you like to have a pet cat?" asked Harry.

"I think Mum would be pretty suspicious now," said Ginny.

"Not here," said Harry, "at school. It would probably only be in your room, through the girls' loo. I don't dare go through the Gryffindor door wards. Dumbledore is going to stay after me, for sure. I could tell how badly he wants me."

"I'm not sure Mum would like that any better," said Ginny with a grin, "but it works for me. I have been hanging around you, since I was six. Too late to worry about the sort of nonsense Mum will worry about, now. I can just hear her, 'You can't sleep with a fifteen year old boy, blah, blah, blah.' The girls in my room won't pay you any attention, after a couple days. Hermione won't give you up, and she is in another room."

"I won't be there all of the time," said Harry. "I am going to be on the move a lot. You will need to tell them I spend a lot of time outdoors. How did everyone take my expulsion?"

"You should have seen McGonagall," said Ginny. "I thought her EYES were going to hex Umbridge. Hermione had a cow, but Luna took it in stride. You know how Luna is. The boys raised the roof ... not that anyone cared what they said. There was too many of them yelling, to get detention."

"I want you to take my owl, Hedwig," said Harry. "I don't see myself using an owl often. You can work with her. She takes care of herself pretty well, at school. I will let her know, officially. I don't really know how messenger owls do that."

"Sure," said Ginny, "I'll take good care of her. What are you going to do, now that you are not in school?"

"I will spend some time with the family, and train some with Sirius, and Xavier," said Harry, "I am going to be moving around a lot. Everyone wants a piece of me. I don't want you to worry any, about what I am doing. I am fine. I will go back to school, after all this mess is over." He didn't see any reason to tell Ginny he was going hunting marked death eaters. What could it possibly do, but upset her?

Harry spent the holiday with his family, and visited Ginny often. He didn't plan to approach Arthur and Molly until the summer. He met a couple times for breakfast with Xavier. Breakfast was the most likely time to catch Xavier. There was no response, from anyone, for Avery's death. Harry was living full time in the woods, sheltering in the Figg out buildings. He had a cache of supplies in one of the sheds, since he had vacated the Figg residence. He still had his room there, near the kitchen, but he left nothing of significance there for the aurors to find. The grounds were truly his home.

After the holidays, Harry practiced apparition. He wore a heavy, hooded cloak to conceal his identity, and started apparating farther. Diagon alley was a popular target for him, as was the woods on both coasts. After a few days practicing in southern England, he made the jump to Hogsmeade without incident. He started flying several places to land mark apparition points. He had studied maps of the British Isles when he started flying for distance, and had a refined sense of location and direction. Apparition made travel much easier. It was little wonder seasoned wizards used it, and the floo network.

Harry returned to Hogwarts in the middle of January. He set up residence in his workshop in the Chamber of Secrets. Sirius wanted Harry to stay with him, but Harry declined. It didn't feel secure. Nothing felt as secure, as being out on his own. Besides, if he was in Hogsmeade, he preferred to sleep at the foot of Ginny's bed, truth be known.

"Ginny," Harry said his first night back. "I have a workshop in the Chamber of Secrets. Do you want to see it?"

"I don't think so," said Ginny. "A workshop is a workshop, and I don't really care to go that deep in the castle. The basilisk is still down there ... right?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "I talk to him frequently."

"Nope," said Ginny. "No reason to see your workshop. I will see you up here, when you aren't working. What else do you do?"

"I really miss the medical training," said Harry, "but there isn't anything I can do about that. I have a lot of books."

"Ron would be green with envy, if he knew you were just hanging around," said Ginny laughing. "Fact is, I am a bit envious."

"He is an animagus," said Harry. "All he has to do, is find his own spot. I don't have time to train him. Food is easy to find, in the woods."

"He'd never do that," said Ginny. "I'm not so envious now. What do you eat?"

"Rabbit, when I can find it," said Harry. "Mice, rats, and birds are easy. If I am lazy, I just find a large barn yard. There are always mice and rats there. Now that I can apparate, going south is easy also. Food is easy. I can store deer, in the winter. I always have the kitchen, at Xavier's, push come to shove. If I have to, I will just go buy some food. That isn't likely to be necessary."

"I keep forgetting the tournament qualified you as wizard," said Ginny. "That still doesn't seem real. We have to stay for OWL work. Are you going to tell Hermione and Luna you are back?"

"Not yet," said Harry. "The fewer people know, the better. The only thing I can do with them is run the hallways. I don't dare show my face."

"It's just nice having you around," said Ginny. "We have hung around with each other forever, and I don't want that to stop."

"It won't," said Harry. "I might be gone for a few days, now and then, but I like hanging around you too. You are like the pride, really. Family." Ginny just glowed, inside. Ginny's room mates didn't really pay much attention to the cat, since he wasn't around much, and he was always gone in the morning before they woke up.

Harry made a vest, with basilisk lined pockets, for carrying poison arrows, among other things. He had untreated bolts, as well. He started wearing the vest at all times. He practiced with the darts in the woods, in cat form. He found an easy way for the cat to carry the bolts. A modification of his vest adapted it for use with a harness. He was looking forward to Nicolas giving him something to track death eaters. He would likely never stumble onto them any other way.

Harry went to visit the Flamels about every two weeks. During a visit in early February, Nicolas gave Harry a flat, round crystal. "This will point toward the death eaters tattoo, with a line," he said. "Distance is indicated by colors of the rainbow. Red is the farthest away, violet is the closest. Otherwise, it will react to the closest death eater. Multiple death eaters will be a wider line, and you can cycle through available death eaters by tapping the crystal with your wand. My guess now, is that there are about fifteen marked death eaters. It doesn't work, when they are behind certain wards. I would say I am surprised the British Ministry hasn't done something like this, but my studies for the Sorcerer's Stone took me places not many others have gone. The tracking crystal isn't very easy to make, and there isn't much call for it ... that particular modified protean charm is rare. This qualifies as a restricted object, by your Ministry."

"Thanks, for this," said Harry. "Have you had much luck with the Voldemort project?"

"Some, I think," said Nicolas. "I could use some more basilisk venom, but it is difficult to get. I need to find an alternative."

"I can get you basilisk venom," said Harry. "How much do you need?"

"It can be frightfully expensive," said Nicolas, "if you can even find it. I will try something else."

"I have a fresh source," said Harry. He reached into his vest, and pulled out a small vial of venom. "I have been carrying some lately. It works great, on dementors."

"That was you?" asked Nicolas. "I heard rumors about dementors dying."

"I don't get along with them very well," said Harry. "I will probably kill everyone I get a chance to. Do you need more venom?"

"Maybe two more of these," said Nicolas. "The venom makes outstanding poisons."

"Is the venom useful in medicine?" asked Harry.

"I can't think of a use, off hand," said Nicolas. "This stuff is pretty rough. When I am done, Voldemort isn't going to have an ethereal body. Give me a few more months, and I will have a custom made poison for him."

Harry tried to spend a little time with Perenelle, with every visit. He was drawn to her, much more than Nicolas, probably because she was an empath. She would help him with his mental exercises, and they enjoyed each other's company.

A week later, the Order of the Phoenix had a 9:00 p.m. meeting.

"It appears Voldemort has started active recruitment," said Dumbledore. "He has started his old practice of having new recruits kill the parents of muggle born witches and wizards. Have you heard anything, Severus."

"No," said Snape scowling. "All I ever do, is brew. The Dark Lord gives his information on a need to know basis."

"I am afraid I don't know what to do," said Dumbledore. "The Ministry doesn't get there, until after the fact, and we have few contacts with muggle born parents. Wizarding families have a few wards, and means of contacting the Ministry, in an emergency. That is not the case, with most muggle born, and they are standard death eater targets. They hit fast, and run. Eventually, they will start killing political targets."

"Isn't there SOME thing we can do," said the young auror, Tonks, who had been assigned to teach at Hogwarts.

"I have entered legislation for alarms to be distributed to the parents of muggle born students, and candidates," said Dumbledore, "but it has met a lot of resistance. Opponents are citing the secrecy acts. Does any one have any other ideas?"

No one did. The Order was a traditionally reactive organization, and it was too early for Voldemort to be making mass movements. He was a well practiced terrorist. Grindelwald had been much more open.

Harry wanted a list of known death eaters, and their address. Xavier gave it to him. "You are going to go assassin on them?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Just like any other danger in our area ... simply get rid of it, or move. We know who they are. Can't move away, from the death eaters. England isn't big enough."

"I won't tell you not to," said Xavier, "but you are totally outside of the law. I have no sympathy for death eaters."

"Whose law?" asked Harry. "I don't know that I want anything to do with the Ministry of Magic. They kicked me out of Hogwarts."

"Don't burn any bridges you don't have to, Harry," said Xavier. "Be careful. Don't make mistakes." 'Maybe Dumbledore isn't all that wrong,' thought Xavier. 'If they push him, he might disappear. I would really hate to see that happen.'

In March, Harry learned a new trick, for hunting with his stone. He started apparating while flying. He would set up a glide, and jump. He just had to keep one of his hands free, for the stone. He was scouting now. Learning where they stayed, and where they went. He had learned this, as a kitten, and it was old habit. He knew how to hunt.

Harry learned the patterns of the marked death eaters. Once in a while, they would all meet at the same place. Nicolas had said the stone might not track through certain wards, but the stone seemed to be working just fine. Harry decided he would not sneak into a nest of death eaters. He would make his first kill, with an isolated target. Normal hunting procedure calls for taking the weak, the slow, or the isolated ... especially when they are dangerous.

Harry had been watching a man in northern England for a few days. He liked his garden, and had a green house a small distance from his house. There were no significant wards, away from the house, and Harry was waiting for him one night. He fired a stunner while the man was bent over a pot. Still in cat form, he used a cutting charm to expose the tattoo. He would not mistake a kill, and he confirmed the man was death eater. Moments later, a normal bolt entered the man's heart. The death eater never had an idea he was in trouble.

The next day, the paper had a huge banner, exclaiming a marked, exonerated ex-death eater had been found dead on his property. The Prophet speculated that he had been approached to join the organization, but he refused ... and was murdered for it. They were treating the dead man like some sort of hero. The only thing odd, was that he was killed by a small, short distance, cross bow bolt, and not the traditional killing curse death eaters use. There was no sign of the torture that usually accompanied similar past murders.

A few days later, the next death eater ... terminated ... caused quite a stir. A man, the head of an old pure blood family, and his wife, had apparently been stunned near one of their favorite restaurants. When the wife recovered, she found her husband with a bolt in his heart, and his sleeve exposed to show the tattoo. Harry trusted the tracking stone now. It only identified death eaters.

The Prophet called for the ministry to catch "The Archer," before he killed more people. The vigilante could not be allowed to continue. Talk in public places was a lot different. Most common people wanted death eaters stopped any way possible, and they didn't trust anyone, who had the mark. The Archer became an instant topic of conversation for them.

Albus called another meeting. "What do we know about this Archer?" asked Dumbledore.

Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke up. "The Ministry believes he is a Hit Wizard, possibly retired. A cross bow bolt is not commonly used by aurors. Few Hit Wizards use them, but most people think it likely that revenge is the motive. Both ... victims ... had been tried as death eaters, and released for having been under the imperious curse. Their existence is common knowledge. Now, that ... V . Vo ..Voldemort ... has returned, the person has taken it upon himself to stop them."

Severus spoke up. "The Dark Lord called a general meeting. He wants to actively search for the Archer. He said he expects his people to be able to protect themselves from muggle weapons. People have been assigned to set traps. He really wants this person. He can't afford to lose anyone."

"You need to be careful, Severus," said Albus. "Your activity was well documented a few years ago. The Archer, who ever he is, could easily make an attempt on your life."

"Believe me, Headmaster," said Snape, "I am taking no chances. I have no desire to take a crossbow bolt."

Moody said, "I'm not losing any sleep over death eaters. I wouldn't mind shaking this Archer's hand. Knowing what I do now, if I was younger, I might do what he is doing."

"The Order won't support that kind of activity," said Dumbledore. "The Ministry knows of us, and doesn't say anything. We have always supported their efforts, how ever independently. We have to do what is right, not just what is easy. The only problem I have with the Ministry, is that they waited longer than necessary to address the problem of Voldemort. I don't think Fudge cares for us ... me actually. We can't be associated with this Archer. Death eaters need their day in court, or our society will slip into anarchy. We need to stop the Archer."

Dumbledore's meeting wasn't the only one. Fudge was calling DMLE on the carpet.

"St. Mungo's largest private contributor, Lucius Malfoy, was marked as a death eater, a few years ago," said Cornelius Fudge. "He was cleared of all wrong doing by the Wizengamut, and he must be protected. I want an auror guard for him, and the other cleared men, at Lord Malfoy's beck and call."

Madam Bones spoke up. "We can have an auror squad on stand by, and give the ones you want protected a beacon to use if they are attacked." She wasn't thrilled with the idea, but she had little choice. She felt all of the death eaters should have gone to Azkaban, but didn't have the political strength to get it done.

"That is what I want," said Fudge. "Catch this Archer, before he kills more innocent people."

Late in March, Harry was flying near Birmingham, scouting, when he suddenly saw a reading so close, he had to be nearly on top of it. It didn't take Harry too long to find them. Two masked death eaters were torturing a middle-aged couple in their back yard. Harry sent a bolt right between the shoulder blades of the one closest to the couple. Before he could get set for a second shot, the second man left. Harry flew wide, high circles for a few minutes. Aurors finally showed up, and Harry moved on. There wasn't any reason for him to be around aurors. No other death eaters would be coming. Harry could get to Gryffindor Tower in fifteen minutes, from anywhere in England.

Dumbledore called a meeting, of course. "Does any one have new information?" he asked.

Tonks spoke up. "Death eaters are once again associated with active terrorism," she said. "The latest man to receive the bolt had been in the middle of torturing the muggle parents of a Hogwarts student. The guy was new. He had never been identified as a death eater before. The Archer is a full fledged folk hero, in the pubs and shops."

"How would this Archer know about a planned attack?" asked Dumbledore.

"That is a good question," said Severus. "The Dark Lord is very upset, and most of his people are afraid to speak of how fearful they are. He is rather free with a cruciatus curse, for those who show fear, or simply irritate him. He knows of the Order of the Phoenix, of course, and he doesn't think we are involved ... as long as you lead, Headmaster. You are well known for your non-lethal curses."

"I don't know what to say about that," said Dumbledore, "but I think they should be in Azkaban, not just killed. Before I close this meeting, ... has any one seen, or heard anything, from Harry Potter?"

No one had. Albus was extremely worried about his safety.

Fudge was in a quandary, with yet another meeting. "This death eater had been torturing muggles, but I don't dare let people take the law into their own hands. Trouble is, the public remembers the death eaters all too well," he said.

"What will you do with the Archer, if you catch him," asked Madam Bones. "He has tremendous public support."

"I don't care what the public thinks," said Fudge. "He goes to Azkaban, for life. He has no authority."

The death of his death eater didn't do Voldemort any good, either. His people were spooked. The man was a fresh recruit, killed on his first assignment. If this happened a few more times, it would get much more difficult to recruit willing participants. His marked death eaters had to be volunteers, for the mark to take, but no one outside of his organization knew that. He was developing a network of people sympathetic to his idea of a return to a monarchy, with him as king. Marked death eaters were much more reliable, because of the binding loyalty oath involved during placement. He didn't think anyone COULD betray him, wearing his mark. It would take a prior oath, to over ride his mark, and he investigated his marked followers too thoroughly. Last, but not least, his legilemency skills were very good. He trusted his death eaters, and they were essential to his operation. The unforgivable curses were his trademark, and he was convinced no one would cross him.

By the middle of April, Harry knew England like the woods he grew up in. His ability to apparate while flying let him move rapidly. He knew where the death eaters lived. More importantly, he knew when they were out of their normal haunts.

Harry's fourth attempt was in Diagon Alley. He was sitting on a roof top, watching his target. A good opportunity for a 'between the shoulders' shot presented itself, and he took it. The bolt bounced off of the robes, failing to penetrate. The target looked all around, putting up a solid shield. Harry just watched, thinking he must have had armor under his robes. A second shot would be no good. The target darted into a store, and Harry lazily flew away. He might need to come up with a slightly different plan. Maybe a head shot, but he would want to be closer.

The target lost no time contacting DMLE. He was so frantic, he could barely talk. "Someone tried to kill me," yelled the man. Aurors arrived quickly, and escorted the babbling man home.

Late April found Harry in the air, on patrol as usual. He knew about the trap that had been set up. His crystalic tracking stone pointed to other people in the area, not that he wouldn't have been cautious. The person he was watching didn't act quite like they normally should. He shot two of the hidden death eaters in the back. It was actually easier than going after the guy that was in the open. The public never found out about them, and Voldemort absolutely forbade discussion about them. The Archer had put a serious dent in his operation, and he was livid. He didn't have that many death eaters, that he could keep losing them.

Voldemort held a meeting that included all of his death eaters that were available, and he became involved in setting one of the traps. "Get me a mudblood family," he yelled. "We will make them come through the trap, to release them. They won't let the hostages get hurt. We will get the damned Archer ... at least we can identify him. Lucius, I want you to take personal charge of this next operation."

It didn't take Harry too long to find Lucius Malfoy's trap. The hostages were being held inside their own house. Harry wouldn't be going in there. He flew circles for quite a while. Getting the location of the hidden death eaters wasn't difficult, but they were too well hidden to throw a dart at. He just kept flying circles. He had time, lots of time. Cats are patient hunters.

Severus Snape knew about the plan this time, and told Dumbledore. Five death eaters would hide outside, while two tortured the hostages. Dumbledore wanted to save the hostages, and capture death eaters. He would capture the Archer as well, if the opportunity arose, but it wasn't his primary goal.

Harry was still circling when the eight Order members showed up. That flushed out the death eaters, and the fight was on. This gave Harry the opportunity to shoot two death eaters in the back. One was face down, under the influence of a stunner.

One more death eater went down to a stunner, and the remaining death eaters portkeyed away. Auror Tonks went to the stunned death eater and revived him. She let him stand, and started asking questions. A bolt entered his back while he was calling her a mudblood lover. She tried to save him, but Harry had nicked his heart. Tonks was no healer, and the man died in front of her in seconds.

'What a mess,' thought Tonks. 'The hostages were alive, but in bad shape. Three dead death eaters, and with a fight of this size, the Ministry would be on the way. Over a dozen people had been throwing weapons grade spells. The Order had to leave. Now.' "Let's get out of here!" she yelled.

Albus Dumbledore was in the Ministry building, making himself conspicuous, when the alarm came in. He was hoping this would be a feather in the cap of the Order. Its existence was the worst kept secret in the DMLE. He was shocked when the aurors brought in three dead men. The hostages had been taken to St. Mungo's, and told a tale of a boisterous trap for the Archer. The death eaters had made no secret of their intentions, since the hostages weren't meant to survive. Dumbledore was not happy about how it turned out. The Order had helped the Archer shove the trap up Voldemort's arse.

The next Order meeting was ... loud.

"Headmaster," said Tonks. "The man died right in front of me. I didn't see anything. He shot another while stunned on the ground."

"This Archer must be found," said Dumbledore. "We were nearly associated with this killer."

"What's wrong with what he's doing?" asked someone from the back. "Death eaters are sick bastards."

"The Order of the Phoenix doesn't act like that," said Dumbledore. "We operate outside the law, but we work to support law and order. We will turn the death eaters and the Archer over to the authorities." Moody started mumbling about something.

Harry, on the other hand, was quite pleased. That attack worked very well. He would try that again. He went to visit Ginny, at the school. He was done for the night.

Lucius Malfoy spent a long time under the cruiciatus curse. "You failed me, Lucius," whispered Voldemort. "You know how I treat failure. Do not fail me again." Malfoy couldn't say much of anything.

At the end of the ... discipline session ... Voldemort had a long discussion at him. The short of it, was that more death eaters were needed, and Lucius would free his death eaters from Azkaban, and recuit those he could. Lucius should conspicuously kill any prisoners who refused to join the death eaters. Voldemort needed troops.

Harry spent the first week of May with the Flamels.

"Harry!" exclaimed Perenelle. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good," said Harry. "I visit regularly with my family. I search for death eaters several hours a day. I know where they go."

"From what I read in the Prophet, you have been rather successful," said Nicolas. "The Ministry is asking for people to come forward, with information leading to your arrest. You have quite a reward on your head."

"OK," said Harry. "There aren't many people who know what I am capable of, and there won't be any more. Your assistance has been most helpful."

"We will help you any way we can," said Nicolas. "I think I am near to a solution for Voldemort. I am making a slow acting poison that has no antidote, to remove his lease on life. I probably would not have known how to make it, without my research on the Stone."

"How does the Stone work?" asked Harry. "It will probably help medical research."

"The Stone has a few notable properties," said Nicolas. "The stone, with a wand and the proper incantation, works at the atomic level, to change lead to gold. It will also change gold to platinum, and copper to nickel. It will not change iron. Iron is immutable."

"The Stone can be used to make the elixer of life" said Perenelle. "The 'elixer of life' does not give physical immortality, but it will extend life ... probably from one thousand to fifteen hundred years, maybe more. It works genetically. The one major flaw is, that it causes sexual sterility. It is possible that I could improve the formula, but I won't try. I have discovered, in my longer lifetime, that humanity can't responsibly use the stone. The only thing holding the population explosion in check is death: war, pestilence, disease, famine ... you get the picture. Common sense could stop the population explosion, but humanity doesn't have common sense."

"We thought the Stone was my greatest invention," said Nicolas, "but it has been our greatest heart ache, as well. We enjoyed several great years with our family. The elixer was fine tuned, for our descendants. It didn't take us long to find out just how nasty humanity can be. We cloistered ourselves in this small village."

"The other thing we learned," said Perenelle, "is the meaning of life is closely bound to death. Death is a necessary component, it seems. Life isn't fair, but we learn quite a bit about ourselves, as we live ... with the choices we make. The Stone is unnecessary, since our soul appears to be immortal. We really don't know much about what happens after we die, but we have had some remarkable glimpses. Neither Nicolas, or myself, fear death. We have much to tell you, about that, at your leisure."

"Many people think we need to keep taking the elixer, to stay alive," said Nicolas. "We do not. As soon as we are sure that the scourge that is Voldemort is gone, we will let knowledge of the Stone's creation, and existence, fade into myth."

"We are sure that it will be rediscovered at some point in the future," said Perenelle, "but humanity does not have the necessary maturity now. More tea, Harry?"

The attack on Azkaban was swift, and brutal. All of the staff on duty were killed. The dementors did nothing to defend the prison. Money can get an amazing amount of cooperation. Furthermore, no one would ever learn of the traitor's duplicity, as he was one of the victims found in the cold, grey building. No money actually had to change hands.

The Ministry was not positive how Voldemort was able to get that many of the dementors to leave the island fortress with him. No prisoners of any significance were left behind for the dementors to guard. Those prisoners left, were nearly human vegetables. Some people guessed Voldemort somehow had access to the control talismen, since most of the talismen were gone. It could have been a simple matter of food supply. No one in the Ministry knew how dementors would behave, without the influence of a talisman, if Voldemort didn't have the control devices. The Ministry definitely did not want the dementors under Voldemort's control. The attackers must have used boats, since dementors can't get accross that much open water.

The Prophet sold out, twice. The wizarding world was upset, and terrified. Many short term prisoners were dead. The most dangerous, unrepentant death eaters known, were free. Harry knew they left Azkaban, not that he ever would have approached the place crawling with dementors. He had scouted the area, and never gone back. He just had a few more people to watch now.


	20. Chapter 20 The Battle of Stonehenge

Chapter 20 The Battle of Stonehenge

Voldemort was as happy as he ever could get. He had forty-two marked death eaters, and thirty-one dementors, with control talismen. Most of his more dedicated followers had come through Azkaban with their mind ... functional, and perhaps, a bit more zealous. Seventeen of the prisoners released from prison were unwilling to be loyal death eaters, and they became target practice for unforgivables. There was one escapee, who left shortly after the boat reached land. Lucius didn't know who it was, or when it happened, but the head count didn't match when they returned to the warehouse they were hiding in. More prisoners probably could have escaped, if they had thought of it. It would have been the best option for the ones who became target practice. Escape was no longer possible for them. Malfoy was not really prepared to handle all of the people he released, when they returned to shore.

Lucius Malfoy sat, thinking about the next few months. He was in Voldemort's good graces today. That meant he didn't really need to worry about the cruciatus threat that was ever present with Voldemort ... today. On the surface, their leader was the same person he always was, but the consummate Slytherin knew better than that. Voldemort had been reborn a different person, with an extremely short temper. Voldemort's defeat at the hands of the Potters, and subsequent dozen some years of limbo, changed the Dark Lord. It did not help that the one who apparently defeated him, was one year old. Dumbledore claimed the Dark Lord's defeat could be attributed to the boy, a mere babe, and the Dark Lord could not refute that information. That made no sense at all to the self-styled tyrant. The Dark Lord could have accepted the defeat at the hands of Dumbledore, even James Potter, but not a one year old.

The death eaters weren't so cock sure either. Hell, Lucius himself had doubts, that he dare not voice. Lucius would not have minded if Voldemort had stayed in limbo, for several reasons. He was close, politically, with the Minister of Magic, and he probably had as much influence as if he had been Minister himself. Hell, this was even better than being Minister, since he could disavow any negative publicity. Voldemort wanted Lucius to move so fast, the delicate balance would be upset. He dare not entertain even the THOUGHTS of doubts concerning Voldemort's agenda, in the presence of the Dark Lord. His largest problem would probably be this person called The Archer. Lucius knew that he was likely to be assigned to neutralize that threat again. The last time cost him what felt like half a day under the cruciatus. Hopefully, one of the newly released prisoners would be given the task of eliminating The Archer, and Lucius could focus on the Ministry.

The Archer was an enigma. He seemed to work alone, or with the Order. No, not with them, but following them. The Archer had no pattern. He attacked in the day time, the night time, at a death eater's home, or in Diagon Alley. He didn't even appear to contact the death eaters he killed. Further, the person was ruthless. Lucius knew a stunned man had been killed, and yet another killed in the presence of an auror. There was a new player. Not the Ministry. Not the Order. Lucius had an auror escort anytime he wanted it, but he wasn't at all sure that escort would be effective in scaring off the Archer. He didn't leave his property, unless he was shielded against arrows.

Harry was on patrol, and he had new readings for his mental map. He went to investigate one. He found a man in Yorkshire waiting in the back yard of a modest sized farm. Just before the bolt hit, the man made a quick movement to the left. The bolt lodged under his left shoulder blade. He had stumbled into the house before Harry could let loose another. Harry was disappointed. This would have been a kill, if he had used a poisoned bolt. He felt pretty stupid, really. He wasn't short of basilisk venom. Harry flew on to another. He caught him coming out of a house with a poisoned bolt, dead center in the sternum. That target would have been killed, regardless of the venom. Harry made a third shot that afternoon. He had a lot more targets to choose from, and some of these were making it easy for him.

Harry searched into the night, but no targets were in the open. He decided to head to the foot of Ginny's bed, and he was there a bit earlier than usual, when he made it at all. He averaged a visit three or four times a week. She was sitting in an arm chair by her bed, reading. Harry hopped up on the arm, and stretched out. Ginny started scratching him lightly behind the ear.

"Hi Ginny," said Harry, as he started their silent conversation. "How was your day?"

"OK, nothing unusual," she replied. "I am looking forward to warmer weather. I can go swimming in the wet suit, but it isn't as enjoyable, as when it is warmer. May is still way better than now. Besides, it's more fun when you are there. What have you been up to?"

"I spent last night at home," said Harry, "and spent several hours in the workshop in the Chamber. I went hunting for a while, and came up here. How is Luna and Hermione?"

"I can tell you had a good hunt," said Ginny. "It's partly the flying, isn't it? You fly, while you are hunting, like a hawk. I am looking forward to getting out of here, after exams. Luna has been busy with Hagrid and Sirius. Hermione is in full cram mode, for her OWLs. Atch went over to where she was reading earlier, and I thought she was going to jump out of her skin. Atch took off like a shot, and ran up my brother's back. They are looking forward to being out of school. One wouldn't know, by looking at them, that they have NEWTs. I may be going nuts this time next year, but I am ready for normal exams." Ginny went back to reading, and Harry took a light nap on the chair arm. Same old shite, different day.

Voldemort, on the other hand, was barely coherent, in a meeting with his ten inner circle members. "Just how did two previously unmarked people get killed tonight?" he yelled. "A third is downstairs healing, and I have the bolt in my hands. I KEEP LOSING PEOPLE TO MUGGLE WEAPONS!!!! ARE YOU IDIOTS WIZARDS? How does he find my people? Do I have a traitor in my midst?" No one dared say a word.

"Bella," said Voldemort. "I have forty death eaters. I want eight cells made, each with a leader from the inner circle. Each of you will be responsible for your assigned people. Pass the word. If one of the assigned people dies by one of these bolts, the leader responsible for that person will WISH it had been them."

"Rastaban," he continued, "your task is to get the Archer. At least find out who in the bloody hell he is."

"Lucius," said Voldemort, "wiggle in close to Fudge, and find out what they know about the Archer. Use every means at your disposal."

Harry was surprised the next day. He had seen his targets go underground before, but not this completely. None of them were outside a building, so he couldn't stalk for an opportunity. He spent a leisurely day flying and apparating from spot to spot. A week passed, with no change. The only people he was actually seeing, were in Diagon Alley, or in its offshoot, Knockturn Alley.

If Harry was going to hunt in Diagon Alley, he had to get close to his target. A miss could harm someone innocent, and that was not an option. He would be so close, he couldn't possibly miss his target, so he dosed a few of his small target needles with venom. With a special harness for his small flying form, armed with a dozen needles, he went to Diagon Alley to wait. He knew many of his targets by sight. The second day, he saw one leave the Leaky Cauldron with an auror escort. They went into a clothing store. Harry flew over to the overhanging roof of the next store, and waited. Thirty minutes later, they came out. As luck would have it, his mark stopped outside, to discuss the next destination with his escort. Harry was about eight feet away from his target, and three feet higher. The needle hit the man's neck, right below the ear, and slid under the skin. The target could not have been easier, for a wandless strike in his feline form.

The man slapped his neck. "Ow, what was that?" he asked. "BLOODY HELL!!! WHAT IS THAT! Am I on fire?" The target collapsed as Harry was quietly gaining altitude, in wide circles. The auror escort was agitated, looking around. The three portkeyed away. 'That worked pretty good,' thought Harry.

He went to Knockturn Alley after dark, using a form large enough to hold his tracking stone. It started following a person Harry had never noticed before. It didn't matter much, since he trusted the stone implicitly now. He floated down the street, silent as a butterfly. He caught him with a needle in the cheek, as he was walking into one of the seedier bars. Good job, again. The needles were practically invisible, they were so small. It made a huge commotion, and aurors showed up in no time. Harry watched from quite a distance, with his rather good eyes. He made his way back to Gryffindor Tower.

DMLE was in an uproar. Fudge was red in the face.

"Bones," said Fudge tersely. "Tell me how one of your protected escorts was killed today, in broad daylight. Further more, tell me how one of the escapees from Azkaban gets killed in Knockturn Alley, under polyjuice. He turned back in St. Mungo's just before he died."

"I have no details, Minister," said Bones. "This must be the work of the Archer, and he is good. Too bloody good, if you ask me. We can't match his work. He has to have inside information. It's one thing to kill one of the older marked men ... who had no schedule, by the way, but quite another to get one of the escaped convicts ... who happened to be marked. He wasn't marked, in Azkaban. The Archer's spy network must be incredible. He has to have people inside the Ministry, as well as in Voldemort's camp. The Archer is taking this very seriously."

"Do we really care if he kills Azkaban escapees," asked retired auror Moody. "They are going to get the Azkaban kiss, when we get them. No one teaches CONSTANT VIGILANCE in the Auror Corps any more. People on my watch never got killed." He was asked to come to the meeting, because of his years of experience chasing death eaters. Albus Dumbledore was in attendance, because of his position on the Wizengamut, but he planned to say nothing, unless directly asked. Albus wished Moody would shut up.

"He is making a mockery of the Ministry," said Fudge. "I want Unspeakables assigned to finding the Archer. What in the hell is he killing people with now?"

"We don't know yet what he has mixed in it," said Madam Bones. "It has the characteristics of several potent venoms, and more. St. Mungo's doesn't know if they have a cure for it, or if they could get to the victim in time to counter act it. This stuff is deadly. The needle can't be touched with bare hands, and it melts into the flesh, after time. It destroys tissue at the cellular level. We are just lucky the healers know enough not to touch such a thing. Every auror must be told. We should make a public announcement."

"I am not putting this in the Prophet," said Fudge. "This Archer makes us look like idiots. We can't protect anyone, and he kills our escaped prisoners before we can even catch them. Raise the bounty on him. Money will flush him out. Bloody Hell!!!"

Meantime, Voldemort was reaming his people. "One of my inner circle is killed in the middle of the day, in Diagon Alley," he seethed. "Even we can't even manage to do that, with out losing a death eater or two. Lucius, what have you found out?"

"The Ministry knows absolutely nothing," said Malfoy. "The average person could retire, with his entire family, on the bounty they are offering now."

"They want the Archer, more than they want me?" asked Voldemort.

"No, my Lord," said Lucius. "You are still designated 'Kill On Sight', with a probable Order of Merlin, First Class, but they want him badly."

"How did he kill one of my polyjuiced couriers?" asked Voldemort. "How many people knew, Rastaban?"

"Just you, my Lord, and myself," said Lestrange. "as well as the people he was meeting."

"Dig into the situation deeply, Rastaban," said Voldemort, "if you value your skin. He was one of yours. This Archer is making it difficult for my people to go anywhere. The person who finds this Archer, and kills him, will be greatly rewarded. The one who brings him to be ALIVE, will be exalted, second only to myself. I will skin the Archer, and simmer him in salt water. He will beg for death." He paused for a few moments, and yelled, "Crucio!" Lestrange rolled on the floor for a couple minutes.

Voldemort saw three members of his inner circle in the corner, having a quiet conversation. No one really wanted to get too close to one of his interrogations. "You three," he said, "come here. I have a job for you. I want to shake things up a bit. This is what you will do." The three were listening intently.

Harry spent the night with Ginny, in Gryffindor Tower, and left before she went down to breakfast. School was over, for the summer, and the students were going home. Harry loaded up for a long hunt, and flew out over Hogsmeade. He watched the Hogwarts Express fill up, as he circled high up in the air. His wings made virtually no movement. He noticed a group of targets in the direction of the tracks for the Hogwarts Express, not too many miles away. This put him in attack mode immediately, as this was out of pattern for his targets. It didn't take many short jumps for him to jump past the death eaters lying in wait. Harry doubled back, and started circling. Vultures couldn't do a better job than Harry did, on a stalk. The stone pointed out where his targets were. He didn't think it was likely they would expose themselves, before they stopped the train. He would wait, so more targets would present themselves. The death eaters would be focused on attacking their own targets, leaving themselves wide open. It would be like shooting targets in Xavier's training room. An observer might have laughed, if it wasn't so somber. Harry made ready to shoot several bolts, as the train approached.

Voldemort had three squads on this job. They had orders to kill the aurors, and as many of the muggle born as they could, before escaping. None of his death eaters would be a casualty ... just like the old days. Voldemort wanted to make a splash, to gain some momentum, to show that he was an unstoppable force. He wanted to start recruiting.

Harry was practically on top of the ones on the east side of the train. He killed five, as fast as he could fire the darts. It wasn't quick, but the death eaters were extremely busy with aurors, who had good position on the train. No one was guarding them, from a rear attack, and they were not shielding for solid projectiles. The aurors in the cab of the train were killed, as Harry's targets were shot in the back of their neck. He wasn't taking any chance on armor, and he was close enough that he couldn't miss with his wandless shots. Rather than pull more bolts, Harry flapped his wings to gain a bit of momentum. A couple death eaters were moving into position to attack further down the train. Harry broke their necks in a blur, batting their heads sideways with a huge paw. The death eaters couldn't fight on two fronts, so they portkeyed out, in a panic School children were watching, with wide eyes. The aurors from further back in the train were looking for the death eaters to return. It had been a practice used years earlier. Aurors would stand down after a fight, and get caught unaware, as death eaters returned to fight again. Harry shot the two the death eaters aurors had stunned in the legs, before gaining altitude to watch. The venom would do its job. More people portkeyed in, at the front of the train. They were Ministry personnel, and they cleared the tracks. The train was sent on, as soon as it was possible to do so.

There was the usual DMLE meeting, but Minister Fudge was abnormally quiet, staring at the report in front of him. The Hogwarts Express had been successfully stopped, and two aurors were killed. A couple others had minor injuries.

"Minister Fudge," said Madam Bones. "The Archer apparently saved us from a catastrophe. Two of the nine dead death eaters were on your 'Protected Escort' list. What does that say about the others?"

"Bring all of the exonerated men in immediately, for evaluation by healers," said Fudge. "It looks like the imperious curse again. Your orders are to stun them on sight. Use Hit Wizard shield teams. Bring these people in."

"Minister Fudge," said a hooded man, his face concealed, in the rear of the room. "I listened to aurors question the children who witnessed the attack on the train. It would seem the two death eaters with broken necks were killed by a disillusioned beast. They have at least one attack animal, and it is capable of flight. It could be a griffin, as it is large, but probably not a dragon It didn't use claws, so it is not likely a hippogriff. Griffins are damned difficult to train, and it is unlikely to be a sphinx. The Archer has no fear of aurors, and he always attacks in the open."

"What are you saying?" asked Madam Bones.

"The Archer always attacks from the air, and has flying beasts," said the unknown individual. "He has some means of invisibility, probably some kind of disillusionment. He is spelled for stealth, and has only the termination of death eaters as a focus. It would appear he did not try to save the aurors, but rather, just picked off the death eaters as quickly as possible. You should plan accordingly, if you want to catch the Archer. Personally, I would leave him alone. He ONLY attacks marked death eaters. He is probably a professional killer, on someone's personal payroll. This person likely works on a bounty, as he kills stunned men after aurors have apprehended them."

That statement sobered everyone up. "I don't want word of this possibility to leave this room," said Fudge. "The last thing I want in the British Isles, are bounty hunters."

"Haven't you posted a bounty on the Archer?" asked Bones.

"That's different," said Fudge. "Our reward is for information leading to the arrest, and conviction, of the person known as the Archer."

Voldemort couldn't talk. He walked deep into his quarters, and stayed there for hours. He had killed the two messengers himself. Twenty-seven death eaters left. When he came out, he called for Rookwood.

"I want a large dementor attack," said Voldemort. "I have thirty-one dementors, and I haven't fed them properly yet. I want you to attack Hogsmeade, with fifteen dementors, and kill as many people as you can. Feed my dementors well, and wipe Hogsmeade off the map. Those not killed, will flee Hogwarts magical village. The wizarding world WILL feel my presence, and surrender to me."

Draco Malfoy was in his room, two days after returning from the station in London, reading a letter. Adrenaline was surging through his veins. He read it for the fifth time.

**A Letter To My Son**

**The Dark Lord is starting to make hasty decisions, which I think will lead to failure. If events play out as I think they might, you must carry on the Malfoy legacy. You will insist my mind has been ... controlled by outside forces.**

**The Dark Lord is indeed powerful, but he is insane, thinking he can just pick up where he was when he was stopped by the Potters. He has an unrealistic opinion of his ability to seize power. He was different, years ago. He has not returned, as he was before. His defeat has ... changed him. He is not rebuilding political foundations. He acts like he was never gone, and he is not as successful. He demonstrates no Slytherin patience.**

**The Dark Lord's people are being systematically exterminated by an unknown organization, the extent of which, is unknown. I joined the Dark Lord's organization years ago, when it appeared he was unstoppable. There is no possible withdrawal for me. **

**Do not contact me about this, as I will obliviate myself of all knowledge of this letter. The Dark Lord is an expert at legilemency. Protect yourself at all times, even from me. I don't know what demands the Dark Lord may make, as his organization struggles.**

**We can only discuss this at some distant point in the future, should the Dark Lord persevere. He would kill me, for my doubts, but the Malfoy name must continue.**

**Carry on, my son. Burn this letter immediately, as soon as it leaves your hands.**

Draco Malfoy walked into the family library, deep in thought. He had spent the last few months in diligent study. He really wasn't ready for this. He had just finished his OWLs.

Harry spent several hours a day, hunting for targets. He was having no success what so ever, finding a death eater that made a viable target. That was OK. He would keep hunting.

He flew over the Burrow most days, in the afternoon. Three days after the attack on the train, Harry noticed Ginny, Luna, and Hermione making a gazebo, out by the pond. He walked in, to join them.

"Hi Harry," said Ginny. "I was hoping you might join us. Mum is hoping you will come back, now and then. She said she won't be contacting Dumbledore again. She has been talking to Aunt Arabella, and Mum is convinced you are safe with the kneazles."

"It's a crying shame you don't feel safe at school," said Hermione. "What are you going to do?"

"After Voldemort is dealt with, I think I can get an apprenticeship," said Harry. "I will apply for training at St. Mungo's as well. I just have to wait, and lie low."

"Are you going to work with Headmaster Dumbledore concerning the prophecy we read about?" asked Hermione.

"He's not done anything yet," replied Harry. "Why would he start now? He just wants me back in school, and we have seen he can't protect me from the Ministry. Xavier told me they want me on a Hit Wizard team, primarily for political reasons. Nothing will stop them from picking me up at Hogwarts, so I CAN'T go to Hogwarts. I don't want to be the Ministry's poster boy. They would put me in a little box. They wouldn't call it a protective custody, but it would be just that. I am already a regular in the paper and magazines. What are they going to let a fifteen-year old boy do? After Umbridge, I really don't trust them. Here, I am free."

"You just can't sit, and do nothing," said Hermione. "Knowledge is 'Use it, or Lose it'."

"I read and practice," said Harry. "The only thing good to come out of the Tournament was my NEWT's. I am not going to let my magical ability atrophy. I just have to be careful where I practice. Xavier's wards are pretty good, and the property is huge. I have several good hiding places."

"What do you think of the prophecy?" asked Hermione. "Are you important in stopping Voldemort?"

"Well, the prophecy said 'Neither can live, while the other survives', so it has to be over. We are both alive," said Harry. "I have talked to several people, and it is likely accidental magic somehow stopped him the first time. It had to be, didn't it?"

"So, it just caught Voldemort by surprise?" asked Hermione. "Why wasn't he gone permanently?"

"That is the hundred galleon question," said Harry. "You read a lot. What do you think?"

"Necromancy," said Hermione. "It's the only thing that makes sense. The Department of Mysteries will be the ones to stop a necromancer." She could tell Harry agreed with some, or all of her statement. She really liked the ability to tell a person's emotional state, when having conversations.

"Harry, give me a hand with the roof," said Ginny. "In a few minutes, we can go swimming, or run around as cats. Mum doesn't care if we are cats, as long as we stay inside the wards. She didn't give Ron any shite about being a cat. I guess I cut the rut there. Mum wasn't surprised Ron learned at school. Wait until she finds out about the twins."

"Molly thought our animagus ability was a unique, and safe way to entertain ourselves during the holidays," said Hermione. "She doesn't care if we are cats, as long as we stay on the property. Ginny knows where the boundaries are. Dogs are the only problem for cats in the area, and there aren't many roaming the area."

"The attack on the train was scary," said Luna, looking at Harry pointedly. "I am glad someone was helping the Ministry."

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny. "You think someone else was there?"

"Yeah," said Luna. "Just from the way they were acting. They gave Daddy the run around, for interviews. He thinks the Archer was involved." Harry was just quietly working on the roof.

"The Archer is working with the Ministry?" asked Hermione.

"No," said Luna. "Daddy thinks he just followed them. They have too big a bounty on him."

"Why don't we hear more about the Archer?" asked Hermione.

"The Ministry is squashing it," said Luna. "They really don't like vigilantes."

"I can see that, social anarchy, and all," said Hermione. "It's getting hot. Want to go swimming?"

Harry was flying over Liverpool a week later, when Rookwood's group attacked Hogsmeade. The stone registered the large group of death eaters, and Harry left to meet them. A few buildings were starting to burn, and dementors were wreaking havoc. Harry lost no time in starting to dart them, and they were very large, relatively slow moving targets. He was hitting one every thirty seconds, and the dementors started to flee almost immediately. Harry chased them quite some distance out of town, and killed every one. The last few had scattered, but they were easy to spot, from the air. The dementors were completely without wizard support, since no death eaters expected they would need protected.

Aurors had collected eight stunned death eaters, and Harry bolted two, before someone put up a solid shield. The people of Hogsmeade had actually put up a decent fight, after the dementors left. The average citizen usually cowered, and tried to escape, but many shop owners fought side by side. Four other death eaters were killed by town's people ... two were bludgeoned to death physically.

Twenty-nine Hogsmeade people were dead ... men, women, and children. Over a hundred were seriously injured, and the attack had been stopped quickly ... after something chased off the dementors. The town's people were talking about the Archer, because two death eaters had been killed by bolts. They knew how lucky they were to survive a major attack, with dementors. Hogsmeade attributed their survival to the Archer, without having any good evidence that he killed the dementors. Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, stunning one before the others fled, but the Archer would not be forgotten ... for a long time.

There was an emergency meeting of the Wizengamut. The six captured death eaters were Azkaban escapees. That, in itself, earned them the dementor's kiss. Participation in the Hogsmeade attack would have done it also, if for nothing else, the dead children. The trial didn't take long, with veritas serum confessions. Following the quick trial, the Wizengamut proclaimed a 'Kill On Sight' order, for robed death eaters.

The convicted men were led to a room deep in the Ministry, where a dementor waited. Aurors closed the door, and locked it. A dementor keeper came back an hour later, for the dementor.

Albus Dumbledore called a meeting of the Order. "I want to thank those of you who were able to help with the recent attack on Hogsmeade. It was bad, but it could have been much worse. It would seem the mysterious Archer was able to foil the attack on the Hogwarts Express, as well as assist immensely at the Hogsmeade attack. He is apparently the one who kills dementors near Hogsmeade. No one knows how he manages to kill them. The person remains effectively brutal. It is the opinion of the Ministry that he kills death eaters, regardless of those they threaten, and regardless of whether they are in custody, or not. Does anyone have any idea of who this person might be, or who they work for? Does anyone know of any bounties out, for death eaters?"

Moody spoke up, after a few moments of silence. "Why do we care?" he said. "There hasn't been a single instance of injury to any bystanders. This person, and his organization, has done more to eliminate the threat of Voldemort, than anyone ... including us."

"I live in Hogsmeade now," said Sirius. "Word is, in the pubs, the town would like to erect a statue for the Archer, but they have no idea what to put up."

"I will not let this person be made into a hero, so close to the school," said Dumbledore. "There will be no statue for the Archer. He may be the reason Voldemort has stepped up his recent attacks, to show he is still a force to be feared. We don't want to back Voldemort into a corner."

"If that's the case," said Hagrid, "Vol .. You-Know-Who fell flat on his arse."

"Thirty-one people have been killed in Voldemort's attacks," said Dumbledore. "Dozens were injured. We don't want Voldemort to be desperate. He is incredibly dangerous, and we must try to quietly contain him."

"The Dark Lord does seem to be under stress," said Severus Snape. "He has lost easily half of his manpower, and is having trouble recruiting. He is not known for his patience. He hasn't even mentioned Potter."

"Harry Potter is well hidden, at the moment," said Dumbledore.

"Why didn't someone tell me there is a person in Hogsmeade who knows how to kill dementors!" yelled Voldemort. He wanted to scream at Rookwood, but he had been one of the two people bludgeoned to death by villagers. He lost twelve more death eaters. He had fifteen death eaters left, and sixteen dementors. Bella had been beaten badly in Hogsmeade, and was recovering. Severus had been sent to distract Dumbledore, but he hadn't been able to for very long. Hogsmeade might as well have been on Hogwarts property. Pettigrew was expert, at staying alive.

Voldemort had one more ritual to complete, to come to full power, as he had been before the Potter debacle, and that had to happen at Stonehenge, on the Autumnal Equinox, in about three months. He decided there better not be any more setbacks, before then. He had the dementors sent out to forage, away from wizarding areas, where they would remain unseen. They would not be allowed to kill any muggles ... yet. He couldn't stand to lose any more resources.

Harry tried to spend time with the girls in the afternoon, when they were out. It was easy to fly over the Burrow, to see if they were out, and about. The girls thought the gazebo was a great place to read, and spend the summer. It was a pleasant distraction from his full time job of hunting and target practice. Neville and Ron didn't get too far from the green houses. They were making good money.

Harry visited the Flamels, from time to time, but he never really stopped watching his tracking stone. Harry spent the majority of his time in the air, and he really enjoyed it. He became very familiar with the British Isles, the main island, in particular. He occasionally drifted over to Ireland, just for a change of scenery, but he hadn't seen much death eater activity over there.

Harry spent time with his family every day. Once in a while, one of his brothers or sisters would fly with him, in his modified saddle bags. It didn't hurt any, to have extra eyes in the air. As it turns out, having his siblings with him from time to time was not a factor in his hunting, since a target never presented itself when they were with him. He would have liked to have had Ginny with him occasionally, but she couldn't leave the property without her mum's clock giving her away. Besides that, he knew she wasn't a hunter. She liked to ride, but hunting would bore her to tears. Harry didn't get bored. He would review his knowledge of magic while he flew, his eyes always scanning. What Harry did, while he flew, could be considered a type of meditation. Harry would hunt, as long as it took, to get the job done.

Harry could recognize the death eaters by sight, and he knew where each of them lived. If he couldn't see their house, he still knew their area. He became so good at following them, he knew who was where, just by which ones were missing from their normal location. Sixty to eighty hours a week in the air, following ones quarry tends to make one quite good at it. He did not get impatient, because a good shot didn't present itself. He would not follow them into their den. He watched, always watching, always waiting for the good opportunity. The death eaters were scared, and they made an effort to be indoors.

Voldemort knew he had a dedicated enemy in Britain, and he didn't plan to leave the old manor house he was staying at, until his last enhancement ritual. He wanted to get recruitment started again, but England was not a fertile place for recruitment, at this time. He called for Dolohov.

"Anton, I want you to take your team to Germany," said Voldemort. "You should be able to get a dozen people from the Durmstrang alumni. Socialize among your contacts there, and see how many people you can get to join our cause. I know there are several families over there who are receptive to the supremacy of blood purity, that will form our new aristocracy ."

"As you wish, my Lord," said Dolohov. He was only too happy to leave England for a while. It wasn't safe in England. He took three people with him.

Harry noticed the change almost immediately, and set out to follow. He was in Germany for a week, before he had what he thought was his best opportunity to attack death eaters. Dolohov was at some sort of festival, and his people were in the thick of working the Dark Lord's message. Several young people were excited, to think they could be part of a pure blood revolution.

Harry knew from watching, that Dolohov was in charge. He targeted him first, for a needle, and Harry found him sitting alone, deep in thought. The needle entered his cheek, and no one heard his startled yell. Harry had a pretty good dose on it, and soon it appeared as if the man was sleeping. Harry flew on to the others, and found another solitary marked target taking to several young men. The needle in his neck caused quite a bit of excitement. Several people came running to give the guy some assistance. The men that had arrived in Germany with him were not remotely expecting an Archer attack, and came forward without concern. Harry needled the third man, and the fourth one finally got a clue. He erected a solid shield, and lost no time getting under cover. Harry watched him go, and didn't even try the shot. There were too many people walking around, and Harry wasn't going to try for a moving target. Ten minutes later, there were no death eaters in Germany. Harry started winging west. He almost got them all.

Voldemort was so worried, he couldn't be angry. Someone continued to whittle away his organization. Twelve death eaters remained, and recruitment was impossible. Letting his people out in the open eventually got them killed. He wished he could do the last few months over, since he had severely underestimated the threat of the Archer. Dumbledore had been an irritant before, but never a real threat to his rise to power. His stupid death eaters let muggle weapons kill them. Why hadn't they understood they had to have a solid shield up, at all times? Wasn't it obvious? Apparently, it wasn't. They were too complacent, with DMLE and even Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. Money and political power would always get them out of serious trouble. They didn't expect someone to simply kill them, with no questions asked.

His death eaters had been well placed in society, and it was incomprehensible to him that the Archer's organization had been able to stay quiet, and out of sight. Someone ALWAYS bragged over a pint ... well, not this time. His scheduled ritual in September would increase his magical power half again. He would do nothing more, until the ritual was complete. Then, he would personally take care of this Archer problem, with consummate pleasure.

Harry spent the next month and a half without any hunting success. He was unconcerned, and took the time to practice flying stunts that were possible in various sizes of form. A falcon couldn't out fly him, in his smaller size. In his largest size, he could almost float in the air when he modified his weight. He ate what ever he wanted, since food was so easy to find.

Severus Snape had several potions to make, prior to the September ritual. It was a rather complex ritual, and preparation was meticulous. He had lost no time in telling Dumbledore when, and where, the ritual would take place. Dumbledore had had much more success recruiting people for the Order of the Phoenix, than had Voldemort. He knew there would be twelve death eaters with Voldemort, as well as his sixteen dementors. Albus didn't dare let anyone in the Ministry know, since he feared a leak back to Voldemort. He wasn't completely stupid. He knew how effective the Archer had been in reducing Voldemort's forces, and this ritual in September was the best possible time to stop Voldemort, for at least a few years.

Albus had to be ready, and was in a mad search for horcruxes. He couldn't find any of them. He thought the diary might have been one, but he wasn't sure. It had been damaged, before he had seen it. Not much was known about horcruxes. He expected the next time Voldemort returned, he would have Harry Potter ready to fulfill his destiny. He would let Harry keep hiding, for now. He had to get the boy back in school, around people. Love had to be Potter's power the Dark Lord knows not. What else could it be?

The fighting was intense. The Order of the Phoenix was sure they were ready to trap Voldemort at Stonehenge. They had position, and they had the people. There was a prior arrangement for Snape to be hit in the potions bag he carried, and he would be comatose for the entire battle. Destroying the potions would ensure Voldemort's ritual could not continue. Peter Pettigrew was with Snape. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin lost no time pounding the crap out of Pettigrew, made much easier with Snape's potions accident. Unfortunately, they spent a little too much attention on Peter, and Remus went down to a combination of blasters and cutters.

The rather messy spell fight continued, and the dementors were a much larger factor than Dumbledore had made plans for. Voldemort brought ALL of the remaining dementors he had. Patronus dementor repelling spells are much easier to cast in the absence of dementors. The numerical advantage the Order had was being decimated, because of the distraction the dementors cause. Dementors were extremely effective on the battlefield. Moody was the first one down. He had loads of bad memories.

Harry noticed his targets' change of location almost immediately. It didn't take long to find them. Voldemort was fighting with Dumbledore. Voldemort knew this fight would make, or break him. If he ran, it would take years to regain this kind of support, if ever. This was going to mess up his ritual, but he could always do another later. The Order had the numerical advantage on his people, but was spending most of its effort pushing dementors. The dementors would let the Dark Lord win. Dumbledore had to go... today. Any not killed in the battle would be killed immediately after. The Order of the Phoenix would cease to exist.

Harry ran through most of the bolts he carried, making short work of the dementors, from the sky. Voldemort's control of the medallions kept them from running, and Harry was darting eight per minute, as they danced in place. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. The dementors desperately wanted to flee. Voldemort's advantage disappeared, but the damage was done. Five minutes into the intense ambush, it was almost over. Three death eaters laughed, as the last of the outlying Order members went down. Harry darted those three death eaters in the back as they ran to rejoin Voldemort. Voldemort was well aware of what was happening. He had to get rid of Dumbledore, then take care of the bloody Archer.

The Order was decimated, and had lost most of their people to a combination of exhaustion and debilitating hexes. Voldemort was surrounded with his best fighters, Malfoy, Nott, with the two Carrows. They had effective shields. Dumbledore was keeping their attention on him, and it took its toll. Dumbledore had Minerva, and Sirius with him. Sirius was down, and bleeding. Tonks, Xavier, and the comatose Lupin were together not far from Dumbledore's group. These two groups were the last ones left of the Order still fighting. Harry couldn't dart anyone in Voldemort's group. The darts fell short, from the effects of a shield. Voldemort and his four stood against Dumbledore, McGonagall, Figg, and Tonks.

Harry dropped down from the sky, and joined Xavier and Tonks. "I've got your shields," he yelled.

It takes quit a bit of practice to form a good Hit Wizard team, and neither group was all that coordinated. Albus's group had been the only one holding off Voldemort's heavy attacks. Harry shields protected Tonks and Xavier against everything thrown at them, including the avada kedavra Albus and Minerva had been blocking with transfigured obstacles. Minerva was eventually hexed unconscious.

The problem with fighting in a shielded group, is that the casters have to stick their hand through the shield at an opportune time. Neither group can hex through an intact shield. Albus and Minerva usually attacked hexes with hexes.

Xavier yelled, "Quit that, and start shaggin' them up. The old man just went down, and we are in for it now."

"I'm on it," Tonks replied, as she took a bone crusher to the exposed hand. It shattered the bones in her arm, all the way back to the elbow. She promptly passed out from the pain.

Xavier yelled, "Charge 'em, Harry, keep your shields up. I'll give snake face all I have left."

Harry was within twenty feet of Voldemort, and the four remaining death eaters, obviously near exhaustion themselves. Harry charged the group of five, as his largest winged cat. He was inside the middle of the group's shield, claws slashing and teeth tearing. The leading edge of his wings broke what ever they hit. He was devastation in motion, killing the four nearly instantly.

Voldemort was momentarily incredulous. 'I saw Potter drop down from the sky,' he thought, in a matter of milli-seconds, as he dropped Xavier with a blaster. 'He's the damned Archer. The idiot animagus is defenseless. Blasting curse. His skin is mine.' Voldemort put as much effort into a point blank blasting curse as he was able to muster, aiming for Harry's hind quarters, as Harry finished with the four. He knew it would drill a hole in granite, and not even Dumbledore could stop this blaster, at this distance. He didn't get a chance for another thought, as the curse came right back at him, somewhat broadly scattered. It hit Voldemort like a giant hammer, knocking him flat on his back.

Harry was the last man ... cat ... standing. The long, seven minute full-power fight was over.

Harry resumed human form, stunned Voldemort, and lost no time magically transferring the custom made poison into his stomach. He scanned him for life threatening injuries, and stunned him again, for good measure.

Every Order member Harry could see was given a quick medical examination, but he didn't waste any time with wounded death eaters, not even taking time to kill them. He just used a quick, low powered stunner. Harry was nearly exhausted. It would be a pity if death eaters died, waiting for healers. Not.

Harry worked his way around the injured people, starting with Minerva, who was in rough shape. She would live. He went to Xavier next, who had taken one of Voldemort's blasters. He stopped the worst bleeding, and stabilized many broken bones, doing basic triage on the Order. Dumbledore, who had escaped serious damage, was the first combatant to wake up.

Dumbledore grabbed some magical manacles from an unconscious Tonks. He staggered over, and placed them on the comatose, lightly bleeding Voldemort.

"Hello, Harry," said Dumbledore, happy to see Harry medically treating people. "I watched you fight, beside Xavier and Tonks. Where did you come from? Pretty good shields, for a sixteen year old young man. I went down, before I could stop Voldemort."

"Voldemort will be dead, in a few days," said Harry, as he healed wounds the best he could. "maybe sooner. It is essential that no one kill him, before then. I have poisoned him, in such a way that he loses his immortality. The only known cure for him, is immediate death. You won't kill him, or let him be killed, will you?"

"Harry," said Dumbledore, "I can't let you poison people, even Voldemort. Why do you think that will end his bid for immortality? Voldemort should be contained in prison, like Grindelwald was kept. The British wizarding world doesn't poison people." 'Is this the prophecy at work?' thought Dumbledore. 'Is it possible?'

"Put him in prison," said Harry. "That works. Just keep him alive. He may not wake up."

"I have to take you in, for questioning, when I take Voldemort," said Dumbledore, forcing a bezoar down Voldemort's throat. "I am the highest ranking member of the Wizengamut, the law making body of government. How can I not let the authorities know what has happened, concerning Voldemort? There is going to be a lot of questions about this. It's hard enough explaining how I am here, at Stonehenge. You used poison on a prisoner."

Harry just watched Dumbledore, who was heavily conflicted.

"How can I explain poisoning?" he continued. "I am sure allowances will be made, since it is Voldemort you have poisoned. I can't think of a reason the Wizengamut would sanction the hideous use of poison, in the civilized world. Harry, you must be able to prove self-defense, to use deadly force. I have told you this. Besides, I have it on good authority physical death won't stop him. I believe he has used the dark arts to attain a measure of immortality."

Dumbledore was radiating frustrated exasperation and worry. What other answers would Harry have, for the Ministry? What happened to the thrice damned dementors?

"You think they will ask about HIS health?" asked Harry. "I don't trust the Ministry, so I won't be going with you."

There was no way Harry was submitting to Ministry questions. He had already seen them at work.

"Harry, my boy," said Dumbledore, "they will want to know who stopped Voldemort, and how. It wasn't me, though I tried my best. Just look at this battle scene. They will hunt you down, since you were here. Everyone will be questioned."

"They won't find me," said Harry. "I am kneazle. Keep him alive."

He transformed into his normal kneazle form, with full shields. He took off running, with as much speed as he could develop. Harry was tired, but he needed to run. He really needed to run.

Albus Dumbledore, exhausted and battered, just stood there, watching him go. The Ministry started arriving in force, in response to the tremendous amount of magic discharged at a national monument.


	21. Chapter 21 What Do We Do Now?

Chapter 21 What Do We Do Now?

Major Shacklebolt traded shifts, so his team could be on stand by duty for the Autumnal Equinox. He was expected to decisively turn the tide of the battle, calling for reserves and emergency healers, if Voldemort didn't just run, like he usually did. He did not expect to see bodies laying everywhere. How had a dozen death eaters done this, after they walked into an ambush? They were just supposed to interrupt a ritual. He saw Dumbledore stumbling around some of the dark cloaked bodies.

"What happened?" asked the Major, as he ran up. Two squads spread out over the area.

"I expected two, maybe three dementors, at the most," said Dumbledore. "He had them all. They made short work of us, I'm afraid. We are lucky there have only been two casualties, of the people who were with me, though there are several severe injuries. Eight death eaters are known dead. Severus Snape is unconscious and portkeyed to the Hogwarts infirmary, as planned. I have made sure the prisoners are stunned, and ready for medical transport. Voldemort is stunned and manacled."

"You got him, then," said Shacklebolt. "You thought he might escape, once the ambush was discovered."

"It wasn't me," said the old man. "I was overwhelmed by him, and others he had with him. I am lucky to be alive. He would have killed us all, as soon as the last person was incapacitated."

"Who did it, then?" asked the Major. "Where are they?"

"I didn't actually see," said Dumbledore. "I put the manacles on him after I regained consciousness." Albus had been a politician, for far too long, to give up extraneous information, so he kept his information scant, and to the point. He needed time to think. Harry had poisoned Voldemort, but a bezoar alleviated most poisons, until further treatment was available. Harry wouldn't have a poison that would overwhelm a bezoar. He really didn't know who stopped Tom Riddle. He knew Harry didn't have the ability. Hell, he didn't have the ability himself. The darts in a few of the dead men were obvious. The young man had been on his own for a few months. It was feasible Harry had ran into a dodgy character, while trying to continue the medical training he seemed to enjoy so much. The poison didn't make sense, in any scenario he could bring forth. Dumbledore's mind was spinning.

Harry had likely saved Minerva's life, and as well as several others. Albus was most grateful for that, since his plan had failed so spectacularly. The boy would be a remarkable healer, according to Madam Pomfrey's reports. Albus saw no reason to let the Ministry hacks think Harry might have information that could lead to the capture of the Archer. It could get Harry killed. Dead men carry no tales, and the Archer was proven to be ruthless, and apparently unstoppable.

A young man ran up to them. "The perimeter is secure, sir," he said. "The injured are being transported to St. Mungo's. Three death eaters have been manacled, and sent to DMLE medical. You-Know-Who has Tonks' equipment on him, but she is at St. Mungo's. What do I do with him?"

"I will take care of that one," said the Major. "I am leaving shortly, to take him to a special cell in DMLE. It looks like this is over. I want to see your Captain, as soon as he is available."

"Yes sir," said the young auror, and he left.

"Professor, you need to go to St. Mungo's yourself," said Shacklebolt. "You don't look so good, if I may say so, sir."

"This took a lot out of me," said Albus. "I am getting too old for this. I think I will accept your portkey to St. Mungo's." The Major activated the portkey, and resumed his investigation.

Harry spent the night with his family. The hunt was done, but he didn't know what would happen with the Ministry. Only one way to find out, and that was wait, and see. He left for Belgium in the morning. He didn't want to see Dumbledore. He didn't even want to think about Dumbledore.

"Please sit down for breakfast," said Nicolas, as Harry walked in. "The morning paper had quite the head line."

"What did it say?" asked Harry.

"Albus Dumbledore, with a few others, fought Voldemort at Stonehenge at sunset, and Voldemort was beaten," said Nicolas. "When Albus woke up, Voldemort was unconscious, with the remaining death eaters stunned as well. The Prophet is giving credit to The Archer for saving Dumbledore, and stopping Voldemort. They found some death eaters killed with his trademark crossbow bolts. They are ecstatic that Voldemort has been captured."

"Here is the tracking stone," said Harry. "The only traces left lead to the Ministry, or Snape. I won't need it any more. It was very effective."

"I was only too happy to make it," said Nicolas. "That vile creature should be beyond recovery by now, and on his way to a painful death. I have contacts in the British Ministry that will tell me of his status."

"Dumbledore made him swallow a bezoar," said Harry. "Will that have any effect on the poison?"

"It will probably just make his passing more painful," said Nicolas, with a smirk. "There is no antidote for that mixture, but its activity can be slowed down. The removal of the bonding between the ethereal and spiritual bodies should have already begun, with no ability to cancel. I would prefer to take no chances, and let the toxins work."

"What will you do now, Harry?" asked Perenelle.

"I have to find out what the Ministry plans to do," said Harry. "I would rather return to school. I missed half of my OWL year, and I need a NEWT in potions to be accepted at St. Mungo's."

"I could tutor you," said Perenelle, "as could Nicolas. You can apply to take the examinations separately."

"Thanks for the offer," said Harry, "but I like attending Hogwarts. I have friends there. I am sure I will have questions for you both, from time to time."

"I know the pull young people have for each other's company, Harry," said Nicolas, with a grin. "You don't need to be cooped up with old fossils like us."

"Please remember us, Harry," said Perenelle. "Our door is always open for you. Ah, here is the treacle tart you are so fond of." A young elf had just brought in the freshly baked pastry.

Dumbledore was busy at the Ministry. As usual, he was knee deep in politics, meeting with Fudge.

"I want to talk to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," said Fudge. "Why can't I see him?"

"When we do get him awake, all he does is scream," said Healer McKenna, Chief Healer of Unusual Maladies at St. Mungo's. "He had some really bizarre toxins in his system, and I don't know that he will recover. The toxins have been removed, but the damage to his organs is extensive. I don't know that I have seen neural damage this bad. I give him two days, at the most. If half of what I think was in his system, it was put together by a Potions Grand Master. The ingredients should not be able to be together, in a stable mixture."

"Auror Tonks' manacles were on You-Know-Who," said Fudge. "What was her involvement in this?"

"I put her manacles on Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "She was not on duty, and I asked her for assistance, once I heard Voldemort might be there."

"We are well aware of your organization, Albus," said Amelia Bones. "We are not adversaries, in the pursuit of dark wizards. Her report was simple, and to the point. Voldemort's group entered Stonehenge, and she tried to apprehend them while off duty. She will be commended."

"I need someone to accept the Order of Merlin," said Fudge. "Are you absolutely certain his illness is not from something you did, Dumbledore?"

"He beat me," said Albus. "We have no idea which ritual he was planning. We did interrupt something that utilized several potions."

Dumbledore had decided to keep young Potter's name out of any investigation concerning Voldemort. Auror Tonks had not mentioned his presence, and Albus knew Xavier would not inform anyone. It would serve no purpose, that he could see. It could ruin the young man's life, and for what? Being at the scene of a battle with Voldemort, and administering a potion to the worst Dark Lord in centuries? Someone else had given Potter the poison. Young Potter was an excellent student, but he was no Potion Master. The poison was not a student's creation.

Xavier Figg told Albus he had not informed Harry of the ambush on Voldemort. That meant someone else had involved Harry, apparently to administer the poison. It was well published that Harry Potter was a promising healer candidate, and he was not in school. Teen Witch Weekly was always running some article on the young man. Potter also had sufficient reason to want to fight Voldemort, and was a natural choice for recruitment. The Archer certainly didn't want to give medical help to death eaters, given his past behavior. The Archer's extensive organization had surely found Harry, even if Albus himself could not. Albus would keep a close eye on Potter. Very close. Surely, he would be back in school now where he could observe his behavior.

"We found three cross bow bolts in dead death eaters, and the remains of at least a dozen dementors," said Amelia Bones. "It is possible that this unknown Archer has had his sights on ... Voldemort ... all along, and he finished the job. He used Albus' distraction to purpose."

"That is just a guess," said Fudge. "I will not make the Archer a hero."

"He already is," said Bones. "Once the Prophet found out there were bolts at the scene, they inferred the rest."

"The Archer saved my life," said Dumbledore. "He saved the people who were with me as well, since Voldemort releases no one. I will be the first to say that I don't like the Archer's methods, but he has, without question, saved several lives."

"Who gave out that kind of information?" said Fudge.

"I fear I did, inadvertently," said Albus. "I believe I was overheard, while discussing medical details at St. Mungo's. I had to warn the healers about the possible danger from the Archer's weapons." Dumbledore really didn't mind that particular information leak. He didn't care for the Archer, but the focus of Voldemort's fall HAD to fall on someone. It seemed obvious the Archer was not coming forward. Hopefully, the brutal person would fade into oblivion.

"Isn't there SOMEONE I can give the medal?" yelled Fudge.

"There is my spy," said Dumbledore. "Without his information, I would never have known about the ritual. He worked behind the scenes, at great risk."

"Who?" said Fudge. "YOUR spy?"

"Severus Snape," said Dumbledore. "He was injured in the fight, and I sent him to the Hogwarts hospital wing. He was carrying potions that Voldemort had requested, and the bag he carried took a hit."

"Excellent," said Fudge. "Potions, you say. A PROFESSOR. Yes, most excellent. Has he recovered? We will publish that he was working for the Ministry, without any particular details."

"He has been sent to his quarters, by the Matron," said Dumbledore. "He is expected to be released in two days."

"I will be at Hogwarts in three days," said Fudge. "Please inform Professor Snape to expect my arrival at noon."

"Do you still want Harry Potter?" asked Dumbledore.

"What ever for?" said Fudge. "I have no use for a famous school boy, even if he could have possibly been linked to a prophecy. It is obvious he had no involvement in You-Know-Who's incarceration."

Harry spent most of the morning with the Flamels, and returned to England. Xavier and Minerva were probably still at St. Mungo's hospital, so he returned to Gryffindor tower. He was lounging at the end of Ginny's bed, when she returned from classes.

"HARRY!!!" she exclaimed silently. "Have you heard? Voldemort has been captured. It is over."

"Yeah, I heard," said the cat. "I want to talk to McGonagall. I heard I was reinstated last year, and she will know my status. She is my Head of House."

"She is in the infirmary," said Ginny. "St. Mungo's released her to Madam Pomfrey's care. She fought beside Dumbledore."

"I am going to go back out, and come through the front gates," said Harry. "I will go straight to the infirmary. You want to meet me there?"

"Sure," said Ginny. "How long will it take you?"

"Twenty, maybe twenty-five minutes," said Harry. "I am not in a hurry."

"Want to meet me for supper, and then go up afterwards?" asked Ginny. "I missed lunch."

"I ate a couple large rabbits before I came up here," said Harry. "I will meet you there, when you are finished." Harry left for the loo.

Harry walked into the Hogwarts hospital, and immediately noticed Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall in the corner room, having a cup of tea. Minerva was sitting up in bed.

"Mr. Potter," said Pomfrey. "What a pleasant surprise. Does this mean you have returned to us?"

"That is what I was hoping to discuss with Professor McGonagall," said Harry. "I would like to continue my studies at Hogwarts."

"Of course you may continue," said Minerva. "You missed the second half of your fifth year, and it is customary for you to restart your fifth year. You only need your potion OWL to continue, since you have your three other NEWTs. What would you like to do? Do you think you can pass your potions' OWL?"

"Probably, but why push it?" said Harry. "I am in no hurry, and I can probably resume courses at St. Mungo's as well. I will take fifth year potions, charms, runes, and transfiguration. Some review will be good for me. I am not concerned about DADA. What do I need to do to get started?"

"As deputy Head, I will sign the necessary paperwork tonight," said Minerva. "Welcome back, Harry. When can you get what you need, to continue classes? The text books have not changed."

"I just need to know where my bed is," said Harry. "Should I stay with my old room, or bunk with the fifth year boys?"

"I see no reason to change rooms," said Minerva. "Given that much of your class work is independent study, I will discuss the possibility of taking fifth and sixth year potions simultaneously, with Professor Snape."

"I don't mind staying in fifth year," said Harry, as Ginny walked up to him. "Runes require a bit of study. I might even try a bit of arithmancy."

"I see," said Minerva, with a glance at the red haired girl. "Fifth year, it is. I will have a bed set up in your old room, by the time you get there. Have you had a chance to eat?"

"Yes Ma'am," said Harry.

"Then I will see you tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m., in my office," said Minerva, with an uncharacteristically broad smile. "I will have a Hogwarts elf assigned to give you assistance getting your dorm set up properly."

"Dobby will be fine, Ma'am," said Harry. "We have worked out our differences."

"Dobby it is then," said Minerva. "Dobby!"

"May I help you, Professor?" said Dobby.

"Please give Mr. Potter any assistance he may need setting up accommodations in his old dorm," said the Professor.

"Yes, Professor," said Dobby. "What do you need, Harry Potter Sir?"

"Just a bed, for now," said Harry. "I will talk to you later, about any thing else." Dobby grinned, and left.

"Your new year-mate can accompany you back to the tower," said the Professor, with the same broad smile. She was most happy to have Harry back.

Voldemort died, the next day. The Goblin vault monitors ... used for inheritance issues at Gringotts Bank, confirmed he was thoroughly dead. The Goblins knew the Heir of Slytherin was Thomas Riddle, and that Riddle was Voldemort. Riddle was no longer in the line of progression for any inheritance, being dead. The goblins always know such things, as it is their business to know. They promptly took their transaction fees, and let the Ministry know the Thomas Riddle Jr. was no more, as per treaty. There was no will on file. Dumbledore would be stunned, when he reviewed the goblin notices that pass his desk in the Wizengamut, since they gave no notice the first time Riddle was stopped.

Riddle never knew how wealthy he was, as the Gaunts hadn't had enough magic left in them to acquire the vault. The Gaunts had land, which they sold to the Riddles, and a few artifacts handed down from father to son. Salazar Slytherin had been very specific setting up who was eligible to acquire his library and vault. A significant amount of magical ability was necessary, and near squibs did not qualify. They had just needed to escape their inbreeding, and the muggle Thomas Riddle had provided the genes necessary. The Gaunts thought they needed 'blood more pure'.

Voldemort never bothered to get a Gringotts account. In his early days, he kept the cash he earned in his pockets. Goblins do not search out heirs, preferring to let gold accumulate. Voldemort knew his mother died a pauper, and he personally ended the Gaunt line, the last of the natural Slytherins. Riddle claimed Slytherin's title, from the ring he took from the Gaunts. He never thought to ask the goblins, and Professor Binns doesn't teach wizard culture, with any effectiveness.

Slytherin's heritage passed to the heir of his best friend, Godric Gryffindor. The second child of Godric's heir would become the new heir of Slytherin. The lines were not allowed to stay combined. Information that the Goblins did not divulge, until the heirs obtained their vault key.

Thomas Riddle Jr. had the talent, and the means, to become the greatest wizard since Merlin, revitalizing the legacy of Slytherin. He didn't have the common sense to know a chain can't be pushed. It has to be drawn, and the weak links must be watched. He was no leader of men.

Albus Dumbledore was the only living human, who knew Harry Potter was the heir of Gryffindor. But, that is a story for another day.


End file.
